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The Buffalo Bills found some space for more additions this week by handing a big payday to their All-Pro cornerback.
With the team up against the 2021 salary cap and close to being unable to process contracts, they found some breathing room by restructuring Tre’Davious White’s contract. The move has already been put to use, allowing the Bills to bring in more firepower on offense and looking at potential additions on defense.
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White’s Big Payday
As SB Nation’s Buffalo Rumblings noted, the team’s cap situation was growing so perilous after a series of signings that they would not have been able to process the contract for restricted free agent Ike Boettger if he had signed his tender. The Bills created the room by converting part of White’s base salary to a signing bonus, which ended up giving White the $9.46 million in converted salary upfront. Along with his option bonus of $7.5 million, the Bills gave White a pair of checks worth $17 million this week, the outlet noted.
As the report noted, the move gave the Bills $7.6 million in cap space, allowing them to make more lower-end free-agent pickups and to have the $1.7 million needed to sign draft picks.
Before handing White a lump sum this week, the Bills had already committed to the All-Pro with a contract extension inked last year. Just before the start of the season, the team signed White to a four-year, $70 million extension that included $55 million guaranteed, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.
White said afterward that he was shocked at the deal, which gave him the most guaranteed money ever for a cornerback, and immediately called his father to celebrate.
“I’m still in shock,” White said at the time, via NFL.com. “It’s just something that I really couldn’t put into words. I was just having a talk with my dad the day before I signed. I was like ‘Dad, what are the odds of this happening to me?’ I understand hard work and dedication brings great things, but never in my life would I ever imagine that this would happen to me.”
Bills Make More Moves
The space saved from White’s salary conversion was quickly put to use. On Thursday, the Bills announced that they signed former Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers running back Matt Breida to a one-year deal. As Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports noted, Breida brings much-needed speed to the Bills backfield, demonstrating the ability to break off big chunks of yardage through his limited touches.
“Throughout his four-year career, Breida has shown the ability to produce at a rather high level when given the opportunity,” Sullivan wrote. “He’s averaging 5.5 yards per touch for his career and 4.9 yards per carry. Back in 2018, he also totaled 1,075 yards from scrimmage, which remains a career high.”
The Bills could still make other moves with the cap space gained through restructuring White’s contract, and appear to be focused on adding depth to the defense. As the USA Today’s Bills Wire noted, the team hosted free-agent safety Sean Davis on a visit on Friday. The 27-year-old was drafted by the Steelers in 2016, playing a starting role until his 2019 season was shortened by injury. He played in a special teams role last season.
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