Getty Bills wide receiver Deonte Harty at Highmark Stadium on December 31, 2023.
Following the Buffalo Bills‘ 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional round, general manager Brandon Beane has a lot of difficult decisions to make.
The Bills have 21 pending free agents and enter the offseason approximately $43 million over the cap. With finances stretched thin, The Buffalo News’ Jay Skurski predicts Deonte Harty will become a cap casualty.
Harty signed a two-year, $9.5 million contract with Buffalo last March. The All-Pro’s base salary in 2024 is $2.6 million, and his cap hit grows to $5.7 million. However, the Bills can save over $4 million with just a $1.64 cap hit if he’s released.
Skurksi wrote, “With Gabe Davis and Trent Sherfield Sr. scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in March, and Deonte Harty potentially becoming a salary-cap casualty, the likelihood of significant turnover at the position is high.”
#Bills PR Deonte Harty just returned a punt 96 yards for a TD and this game just got super spicy. 💨
Harty showed off his explosiveness against the Miami Dolphins in the regular season finale, breaking a franchise record with a 96-yard punt return touchdown that shifted the momentum of the game. The Bills ultimately won 21-14, clinching the No. 2 seed, and winning the AFC East championship title.
The 26-year-old was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week, but that momentum didn’t continue into the postseason. Even with Davis out injured, Harty never became a complimentary piece of the offense. With Nyheim Hines expected to return for the 2024 season, there may not be room for Harty on the roster.
However, if the Bills want to keep him, they could restructure his contract or sign Harty to an extension to better manage the cap hit. Harty finished the regular season with 15 receptions for 150 yards and one score. In two postseason games, he caught 2-of-2 targets for 37 yards.
Gabe Davis Anticipates Entering Free Agency, Open to Returning to Buffalo Next Season
GettyBills wide receiver Gabe Davis at Highmark Stadium on November 13, 2023.
Davis, the Bills fourth-round pick from the 2020 NFL draft, doesn’t know what the future holds, but if there’s a chance to remain in Buffalo, he’d take it.
Speaking to reporters on January 22, “Always open to coming back I mean this is my first place, I’ve been with the Bills for the past four years,” Davis said. “I love Buffalo, I love everything about it. But again, I feel like definitely gotta go to March and see also the other options as well, I feel like that’s the business side of it and I gotta take advantage of it.”
Davis may be one of the hardest-working players on the team, but he was underwhelming this year. He finished the regular season catching 45-of-81 targets for 746 yards and 7 touchdowns. The 24-year-old couldn’t participate in the postseason due to a knee injury suffered in Week 18.
While Davis is beloved by teammates, he was voted team captain this past season, the UCF alum might be playing for a new franchise next year. According to Spotrac.com, Davis is predicted to earn a four-year, $54 million contract, which would price him out of Buffalo.
If Deonte Harty & Gabe Davis Exit, the Bills May Look Toward Justin Shorter to Step Up
Watching Justin shorter run Routes…. All I see is Terrel Owens movements and I can’t unsee it!!
#BillsMafia
Beane made it clear during his end-of-season presser that Stefon Diggs remains their No. 1 wide receiver. While Diggs notched his four-straight season with over 1,000 yards, his minimized role on offense in the back half of the season raised some eyebrows.
Against the Chiefs, Diggs caught 3-of-8 targets for 21 yards. He dropped and then fumbled his first two targets. Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw a 64-yard bomb right toward Diggs in the fourth quarter, but he couldn’t hold on.
The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia wrote that Diggs “finished the season the same way he did the last three; by no-showing in the team’s most important game. It’s clear they can no longer rely on Diggs to solve all of their issues in the passing game.”
While the Bills could draft a receiver in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, Skurski believes they could instead look inward. If the Bills don’t re-sign Davis, and release Harty, they could look toward Justin Shorter to step up. The Bills’ fifth-round pick from the 2023 NFL draft didn’t play all year due to a preaseason hamstring injury.
“I can’t wait to come back next year and grind,” Shorter said. “Just being in the building, watching everyone around me, I feel like that’s been critical in my development. I’ve seen everything, now it’s time to just put the pedal to the metal and just get it. I can’t wait, man. I’ve been training this whole time, just to show people all the work that I’ve put in.”