The official start of free agency doesn’t happen until 4 p.m. Wednesday, but between now and then, Teams and players will come to an agreement on dealsAlways one of the busiest and freshest two-day stretches of the NFL season.
first order of business for The Bills Are Starting to Lower Their Salary Cap Overage It started at $17.7 million before general manager Brandon Beane began the process of renegotiating contracts late last week.
There could also be some player releases over the next few days, in an effort not only to match the cap, but to get under it so that Beane can bolster the roster with free agents.
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here’s what’s the latest buffalo bill are doing, and you can keep checking back here for updates over the next couple of days.
Guard Connor McGovern signing Bills to replace Rodger Saffold
You could cross one of the biggest holes the Bills have to fill this offseason with reports that they are signing the former Cowboys left guard to a three-year contract worth up to $23 million.
McGovern is a former third-round pick out of Penn State in 2019, sat out that entire season, then was a part-time starter in 2020 and 2021, before taking over as a full-timer in 2022 when he made all 15 starts. Started the game. Played in
The 6-foot-5, 308-pounder was classified by Pro Football Focus as the 13th-best pass blocker among 53 guards who played at least 700 snaps last season, but a very poor 52nd as a run blocker. But came Just one place below Saffold.
There Will Be No Punter Vacancy For The Buffalo Bills
One of Buffalo’s scheduled free agents was Sam Martin, the penalty he signed at the last minute before the 2022 season after the team cut ties with rookie Matt Ariza. Martin, a 10-year veteran previously with the Lions and Broncos, proceeded to give the Bills one of their best punting seasons in recent memory.
He averaged 47.7 yards, the second best figure of his career, and netted 42.1 yards, his third best. The Bills saw value in him and confirmed they were re-signing him. As usual, he didn’t give terms, but reports include it as a three-year deal with $6 million guaranteed and $2.36 million in incentives that could net him more. This is a significant increase from the $1.1 million he earned last year, but it also gives the Bills a reasonable escape with minimal dead cap hits after 2023.
Sticking with special teams, the Bills confirmed they are re-signing Tyler Matkevich, one of the key members of those units. This is a one year deal with a zero year fixed, the cost is not yet available. I thought the Bills might decide to move on from the 30-year-old who made $3.2 million last season. It will be interesting to see if he takes a pay cut to stay in Buffalo.
Nyheim ready to relieve Hines cap
Hines was one of the obvious places Beane was going to go in relief of the cap. The contract he signed with the Colts carries a cap hit of $4.8 million in 2023, which is a lot for a backup running back. In addition, there was zero dead cap hit if he were to be cut, so it was an immediate $4.8 million savings if the Bills were to move on.
Instead, he’s agreeing to turn some of his base salary into a signing bonus and will have incentives included in the reworked contract that could make him more than $4.8 million, according to Mike Garafolo.
Hines is the primary kickoff and punt returner, and when you factor that into the signings of Martin and Matakevich, it once again highlights the Bills’ importance on special teams.
Matt Milano agrees to two-year extension
Beane began digging into the cap deficit over the weekend with a pair of contract changes that provided a bit of leeway that made up a good chunk.
Defensive tackle Tim Settle, who has a contract that expires after 2023 but has a zero year in 2024, and he agreed to push some of his 2023 money into that zero year, which helped the Bills Provided nearly $600,000 in relief. Hey, every dollar counts.
But the big move came on Sunday when he extended the contract of linebacker Matt Milano – which was set to expire after 2024 – for two years, which freed up $6 million.
Bean doesn’t like to do these restructured deals because the bill is due at some point in the future. But for someone like Milano, one of the team’s best players who just turned 27 and coming off an All-Pro season, it makes sense because unless an unforeseen catastrophic injury or Unless there is a sharp decline in performance, the Milano will be in its prime in 2026.
More:Five free agents the Buffalo Bills should sign and why
More:Bills salary cap status: Which contracts could be restructured, which players could be cut
More:Buffalo Bills roster includes 23 free agents: Here’s who they should keep, who they should let go
It also locks down one of the two starting linebackers while the Bills wait to see what happens with the other, unrestricted free agent Tremaine Edmonds.
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This article was originally published at the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle: Bill Free Agency Tracker: Live updates on players coming and going