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The Buffalo Bills took the first step to digging out of their cap crunch this week, restructuring the contract of offensive lineman Connor McGovern to free up close to $3.7 million worth of cap space.
The Bills were close to $43 million over the cap as the new league season approached, making them one of the league’s most cap-strapped teams. As SI.com Zach Dimmitt reported on February 26, the Bills were able to create a bit of space with McGovern’s new contract and are expected to make some other big moves to give themselves space for signing draft picks and free agents.
Bills Find Some Wiggle Room
As the cap-tracking site Spotrac noted on X, the Bills guaranteed McGovern’s contract for 2024 and shifted around some money to save themselves cap space.
“The Bills converted $4.675M of OL Connor McGovern’s 2024 base salary into signing bonus, adding 2 void years, clearing $3.74M of cap space this season,” Spotrac tweeted.
Dimmitt noted that McGovern became a reliable member of the line after signing with the Bills, part of a starting unit that started all 17 games together and keyed a balanced run and pass attack. McGovern shared some praise for Buffalo’s coaching staff, saying it was a much better situation than when he remembered from his time with the Dallas Cowboys.
“Yes, complete 180 (degrees from Dallas),” McGovern said. “But it’s been the best (coaching) I’ve had in my career from college all the way up. (Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer) gets into the small, little details, and I’ve never really had somebody pick things apart.”
More Moves Ahead for the Bills
McGovern’s contract restructure may have added a bit of space for the Bills, but the team is expected to make some even bigger moves in the near future. The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia broke down a series of potential moves the Bills could make but said that one is a certainty — a $22-million contract restructure for quarterback Josh Allen.
“Allen has a $47.1 million cap hit, is signed for the next five seasons and the Bills likely are intent on having him a part of their organization through the life of the contract,” Buscaglia wrote. “There are no thoughts of moving on from him anytime soon, which makes it a contract to target for a restructure. The Bills can convert all but the veteran minimum of his $23.5 million base salary, along with his $6 million roster bonus into a prorated signing bonus and nearly chop the cap deficit in half.”
Even with the big savings that Allen’s restructured contract would bring, the Bills are expected to remain tight against the salary cap and general manager Brandon Beane already warned that there would not be any splashy moves this offseason.
“We’re going to be shopping at some of the same stores we were shopping at last year,” Beane said, via SI.com. “We’re not going to Main Street in New York City or wherever those high-end stores are.”
The Bills will need to make decisions on a series of key players headed to free agency, including edge rusher A.J. Epenesa and defensive lineman DaQuan Jones.