Getty Fletcher Cox #91 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on December 26, 2021.
The Buffalo Bills have remained quiet amid all the blockbuster trades happening in the NFL, which isn’t that surprising considering they are hard up against the salary cap. However, the Bills might’ve just been waiting in silence for the right player to become available.
According to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz, Buffalo has reached out to the Philadelphia Eagles to work out a trade to land veteran defensive tackle Fletcher Cox.
Schultz tweeted on Saturday, March 11, “#Eagles receiving lots of interest for 6x Pro Bowl DT Fletcher Cox. League sources say #Bills, #Steelers and #Chargers all interested (#Cardinals aren’t due to lack of money). Trading Cox would mean a $40M dead cap charge for Philly, so the return would have to be substantial.”
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Cox, 31, failed to make the Pro Bowl in 2021 for the first time since 2014, but he remains one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL. This past season, it took a while for Cox to find his rhythm under Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathon Gannon’s defensive scheme, per NBC Sports‘ Dave Zangard, but “eventually, Gannon and Cox smoothed things over some and Cox became more productive down the stretch as the Eagles went on a run to make the playoffs.”
While the 2021 NFL season was considered a disappointing season for Cox, he still recorded 3.5 sacks, 35 tackles, and seven tackles for a loss. According to the Eagles’ former No. 12 overall pick from the 2012 NFL Draft, he can still deliver.
Ed Oliver and Fletcher Cox would be a PROBLEM
The Bills talked to both Jordan Davis and Jayden Peevy. Both are huge NT’s in the draft. Are the Bills looking for a big DT? Sure sounds like it. Now they have reportedly have interest in Fletcher Cox?? I mean maybe give up a 2nd for him.
Of not making the Pro Bowl this year, “I know I can still play at that level,” Cox said in December. “Obviously, didn’t have the numbers this year. It’s been up and down for me. I kind of expected it. All I can do is go out and finish this season strong. I still know I’m one of the best D-tackles in the league. I’m not salty about it at all.”
Can the Bills Afford Cox’s Contract?
The Bills are finally under the salary cap after releasing linebacker A.J. Klein and guard Jon Feliciano, but they remain a cash-strapped team that doesn’t seem to be able to afford a player like Cox.
However, the Eagles restructured Cox’s contract last September by converting $13.925 million of his base salary into a signing bonus. His average annual salary is $17.1 million, per Spotrac, and carries cap charges through 2024.
Over the Cap’s NFL salary expert Jason Fitzgerald added clarity to how the Bills would be able to take over Cox’s contract.
Fitzgerald tweeted, “On Fletcher Cox trade rumors. If the #Eagles were to trade him the dead money cost would be $25 million. Team trading for him would have to account for $18.04 million in salary but could opt to make that a much smaller cap charge, about $5.3M.”
Bills General Manager Brandon Beane Joked that He ‘Needs a Loan’
GettyBrandon Beane, general manager of the Buffalo Bills speaks to reporters during the NFL Draft Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on March 1, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Bills still need to create more cap space in order to fill out their roster for the 2022 NFL season, and the easiest way to do so would be to release Cole Beasley ($6.1 million), linebacker Tyler Matakevich ($2.5 million), Mitch Morse ($7.5 million), and/or guard Daryl Williams ($5.3 million).
However, the Bills could also clear some space by forking over high cap-hit players in exchange for Cox.
While appearing on WGR 550 on Tuesday morning, the Bills general manager Brandon Beane found some humor about the team’s salary cap restrictions.
“I need a loan,” Beane joked. “We’re in the red right now. I wish I had more room but that’s part of where we’re at… So we’ve got some moves that we’ve got to get done between now and next week. We have some ideas and we’ve had some conversations. We’ll get there in time and you have to.”
According to Over The Cap, the Bills can also create approximately $37.5 million in cap space through simple contract restructures alone.
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