Getty A.J. Epenesa celebrates after a Buffalo Bills win over the Washington Commanders.
The Buffalo Bills are getting a breakout season from defensive end A.J. Epenesa, which one insider believes could make him too expensive for the team to keep next year.
After coming to the Bills as a second-round pick in 2020, Epenesa is having the best season of his career at the right time. He already has three sacks just five games into the season, on pace to break his career-best of 6.5 sacks last year. He added his first career interception, which he returned for a touchdown in a 37-3 win over the Washington Commanders. Epenesa has also become a disruptive force at the line of scrimmage, knocking down six passes so far.
But with the jump in production coming in the final year of his contract, Buffalo News insider Jay Skurski believes Epenesa will be too expensive for the Bills to keep after this season.
A.J. Epenesa Looking to Cash In
In a mailbag column published on October 15, Skurski wrote that Epenesa could have the chance to chase a big contract next offseason — which will likely lead him out of Buffalo.
“I’m fairly certain Epenesa will give the industry line about wanting to stay with the Bills, but the truth is, it’s a business, and if he can cash in on a big season in a contract year, nobody should fault him for that,” Skurski wrote. “The question of whether the Bills can afford him can be asked about several of their pending unrestricted free agents. With [quarterback Josh] Allen’s contract continuing to increase, GM Brandon Beane can only hope for big annual jumps in the salary cap. Even then, he’s going to have to say goodbye to players he would preferably keep.”
A.J. Epenesa‼️ 😤
📺: @nflnetwork
Skurski pointed to Pro Bowl linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who left the Bills last offseason to sign a four-year, $72 million deal with the Chicago Bears. The Buffalo News writer pointed out that pass rushers tend to score even bigger contracts, which could be lucrative for Epenesa.
“If he can sustain this production – remember, too, that consistency has been his problem throughout his career – he’ll position himself nicely for a big deal somewhere,” Skurski wrote.
With the exception of Von Miller, the Bills have taken a more low-key approach to free agency in past years, mostly staying away from big signings and working to fill holes on the roster economically.
Injuries Force A.J. Epenesa Into Bigger Role
Epenesa’s role could grow even more important after the Bills were hit with a series of key injuries. After losing All-Pro cornerback Tre’Davious White to a season-ending torn Achilles in their Week 4 win over the Miami Dolphins, the Bills saw linebacker Matt Milano and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones go down in last week’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott said it will take the combined contributions of all players to make up for their loss.
“Those guys aren’t able to play,” McDermott said, via SI.com. “A piece of it is playing for those guys, too, because they were a big piece of this team and still are, but they can’t help it so much now. So, we play for them.”