Getty Bills running back Nyheim Hines rushes with the ball at Ford Field on November 24, 2022.
The Buffalo Bills suffered a big loss when running back Nyheim Hines tore his ACL in a freak jet ski accident, and now the situation could be growing even uglier.
The two sides appear to be headed to a contract dispute as the Bills seek to recoup some of the money that Hines would have been owed. As Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported, the torn ACL would wipe out the running back’s $2.56-million salary because it was a non-football injury, and there appears to be a battle brewing over how much money Hines may need to pay back to the team.
Nyheim Hines’ Agent Takes Aim at Bills
Hines did not appear to be directly at fault in the accident, as the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that the Bills running back was sitting on a jet ski when he was struck by another operator.
“While sitting stationary on a jet ski, Nyheim Hines was struck by another rider and sustained serious, but non-life threatening injuries,” Pelissero wrote on Twitter. “Hines will require surgery and will miss the 2023 season.”
𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: The #Bills and RB Nyheim Hines are in a dispute over the “financial consequences” of his season ending knee injury that occurred in a freak jet skiing accident, per @ProFootballTalk
Since he suffered a “non football” injury, he will likely lose his entire 2023…
Hines has yet to publicly address the injury, but his agent appeared to take a shot at the team on Twitter. Ed Wasielewski shared a cryptic post that called on the Bills to do the right thing by Hines.
“Adversity reveals character,” he wrote. “Everyone has a choice to treat others with respect and dignity. It’s revealing when an employee is injured to see how a company takes care of its own. I will continue to believe that people will do the right thing when bad things happen to their own.”
Bills Seeking to Recoup Money
As Florio reported, the Bills have proposed withholding the $400,000 installment of Hines’ $600,000 signing bonus that was scheduled to be paid later this year. The team is also seeking to withhold the $100,000 workout bonus that Hines had earned in the offseason, he added.
But the Bills are planning to ensure that Hines is paid this season, Florio added.
“The Bills also are willing to pay Hines $289,000 in 2023, which matches the highest amount that can be paid to a practice-squad player,” he wrote.
The dispute could be headed to a formal grievance process if the two sides cannot reach an agreement on their own, Florio added. He noted that it could be a tricky situation for the team, as they could lose standing with players if they were to push too aggressively to recoup the money he had been owed.
The Bills must also find a way to replace Hines on the field. While he had only a minor role in the offense after joining the team at the trade deadline, Hines emerged as the team’s primary return specialist and took two kickoffs back for touchdowns in the team’s Week 18 win over the New England Patriots.
The Bills did pick up free agent running back Darrynton Evans to help fill the hole in the backfield, but some of the kick-returning duties could go to new wide receiver Deonte Harty, who returned kicks for the New Orleans Saints.