Getty General manager Brandon Beane of the Buffalo Bills watches warmups before a game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on September 8, 2019.
The Buffalo Bills made a flurry of moves in free agency, successfully adding depth to both the offense and defense despite being hard up the cap. Bills general manager Brandon Beane deserves applause for his offseason moves, however, a new report reveals he’s not done making a splash.
The Bills shocked everyone when they announced they were signing eight-time Pro Bowler Von Miller to a six-year $120 million contract, and it seems there’s at least one more surprise move in his back pocket.
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Sirius XM NFL anchor Zig Fracassi tweeted on Thursday, March 31, “The buzzards tell me the #Bills may be aggressive in trying to move up in the #NFLDraft & may move a veteran or two in the process…next few weeks will be interesting!”
The Bills’ official draft picks this year:
Round 1, Pick 25
Round 2, Pick 57
Round 3, Pick 89
Round 4, Pick 130
Round 5, Pick 168
Round 6, Pick 185 (from CAR)
Round 6, Pick 203
Round 7, Pick 231 (from ATL)
Round 7, Pick 246
The Bills have the No. 25 overall pick in the first round and the No. 57 overall pick in Round 2. Buffalo traded a seventh-round round when they obtained backup quarterback Case Keenum from the Cleveland Browns on March 19.
Fracassi’s report does reveal any targets for whom the Bills are specifically looking to trade up for, nor does it name any veteran players which could be on the chopping block.
The Bills are $1 Million Over the Cap, So They May Have to Cut a Few Players Regardless
Following the early wave of free agency, a look at where all 32 NFL teams officially stand in terms of cap space, from the Panthers to the Giants.
Whether the Bills like it or not, they may have to cut a few players. As of March 31, Buffalo is just over $1 million over the cap, per SB Nation‘s Matt Warren. “In order to sign their draft picks in April or virtually any other free agents, they will need to create cap space.”
The only team in the NFL with less cap space is the New York Giants with $738,607, while the Bills have $1,093,459, per ESPN’s Field Yates. While that sounds like the Bills would only need to cut one player at a veteran’s minimum salary, unfortunately, it’s not that cut and dry.
Warren wrote, “The most obvious is by cutting players, but if you cut a player at the veteran minimum right now, it won’t clear much space. Only the Top 51 contracts count right now, so if you lop off a $1 million deal, an $800,000 deal will take its place, only clearing $200k.”
The Bills Could Restructure a Few High-Paying Contracts to Clear Cap Space
Dion Dawkins and Stefon Diggs have been named to the Pro Bowl.
If the Bills don’t want to cut any players, Buffalo could free up some cap space by restructuring a few of the highest-paid players’ contracts, such as cornerback Tre’Davious White, who comes with a $16.4 million cap hit in 2022, or left tackle Dion Dawkins, who has a $12.7 million cap hit.
Another solution that could kill two birds with one stone, renegotiating wide receiver Stefon Diggs’ deal. Due to the explosive new contracts that elite NFL receivers were offered in free agency over the past few weeks, there’s an urgency to lock Diggs down before he prices out of Buffalo’s budget. In 2022, Diggs has a $17.917 cap hit.
Beane commented on re-upping Diggs’ deal in Buffalo on Monday, March 28. “I think the world of Stef, I think what he’s brought our team has been great,” Beane said, per ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg. “He’s been great for Josh [Allen]. He’s been great for our offense and his leadership has stepped up and we want to see [Stef] in Buffalo for years to come.”
Beane announcing that he wants to make sure the two-time Pro Bowler remains in a Bills jersey for the foreseeable future was music for many fans’ ears. Even more promising, Beane revealed more details about the process and timeline of reworking Diggs’ contract.
One Bills Live host Chris Brown tweeted, “Brandon Beane asked about odds of a contract extension for Diggs: ‘We’ve had an open dialogue since the season ended. Stef and I have talked a couple of times. He’s got a really good agent that I’ve dealt with before. Contracts get done when they’re supposed to get done.'”
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