Getty Bills running back Nyheim Hines at Highmark Stadium on January 15, 2023.
The Buffalo Bills roster took an unexpected hit last month when running back Nyheim Hines tore his left ACL during a freak jet ski accident.
On Tuesday, August 8, NFL Network‘s Tom Pelissero provided an update on Hines’ recovery, and unfortunately, he didn’t have great news. “Hines underwent ACL reconstruction surgery today with Dr. Neal ElAttrache,” Pelissero tweeted. “He now has roughly a year to recover and be ready for the 2024 season.”
While Hines was initially considered to be a possible cap casualty ahead of the 2023 NFL season, as his contract allowed the Bills to release him without incurring any dead money on the books, Buffalo instead restructured Hines’ contract before free agency started which secured his spot.
Bills RB Nyheim Hines (knee) is expected to miss the entire 2023 season. (via @rapsheet, @tompelissero)
NFL Network‘s Mike Garafolo tweeted in March that the Bills were converting “part of his base salary to a signing bonus to provide some cap relief. Incentives added give him the chance to earn more than his previously scheduled $4.79 million in ’23.”
Hines was primed to have big year during his second season in Buffalo. One of the biggest criticisms toward offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey was his inability to utilize Hines after the Bills acquired him at the trade deadline. While his two kickoff return touchdowns against the New England Patriots in Week 18 were incredible, he had a total of 13 touches on offense in 11 game appearances.
SI‘s Tim Kelly suggested in April that Bills could lean into Hines’ talent as a receiver, as he’s tallied 240 catches for 1,778 yards and eight touchdowns over his five-year NFL career.
There’s Friction Between Nyheim Hines & the Bills Regarding His Contract
Because Hines suffered a non-football injury, his $2.56 million contract “gets wiped away, without question,” Pro Football Talk‘s Mike Florio wrote on July 26, but the two parties seem to be at odds in figuring out how much money Hines will relinquish.
“Hines has received $600,000 of his signing bonus,” Floria noted. “The Bills, per multiple sources, have proposed withholding the $400,000 installment due later this year, along with the $100,000 workout bonus that Hines earned in the offseason. That would represent reimbursement of half of the signing bonus covering the two-year contract. 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.
“If Hines doesn’t accept the offer to give up $500,000 in earned bonus money and to receive $289,000, the Bills will: (1) keep the $500,000; and (2) potentially pursue the $1.5 million signing bonus allocation for 2023 from Hines’s prior contract with the Colts.”
Florio reports could file a formal grievance during which he could win “both as to the $1.5 million and as to the $500,000.”
Nyheim Hines’ Agent Commented on the Contract Dispute
GettyBills running back Nyheim Hines warms up at Paycor Stadium on January 02, 2023.
The Bills faced some backlash for not wanting to pay Hines his full contract after the running back’s agent, Ed Wasielewski, shared a cryptic message directed at the team’s front office.
Wasielewski tweeted on July 26, “Adversity reveals character. 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.”
Hines has yet to make a public statement since the accident. As it stands, he remains under contract with the Bills through the 2024 NFL season. With the NC State alum officially out for the rest of the season, based on the Bills’ first depth chart released on Tuesday, the team will look toward Deonte Harty to take over on punt and kick returns, with Khalil Shakir as a backup. James Cook looks to be RB1 with Damien Harris and Latavius Murray behind him.