Alina GetzenbergESPN3 minutes to read
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Buffalo, New York — With the start of the league year less than two days away, the The Buffalo Bills made some big moves to become cap-compliant, restructuring the contracts of quarterback Josh Allen and passing rusher Von Miller to create nearly $32 million in cap space, a source told ESPN’s Field Yates.
On Monday, the first day of the negotiation period, the Bills entered more than $19 million over the 2023 cap (the Bills have a rate cap of about $227 million). The deals of Allen and Miller were the most obvious of restructuring the team to help the team comply with the cap and find room to work with. Allen’s signed extension in 2021 saw his first big jump in 2023 with the quarterback set to account for $39.8 million versus the cap this year with $27.5 million in base salary.
“[Allen’s cap hit is] “One of the biggest numbers you can make in space,” Beane said at the NFL Scouting Combine. So, we definitely have to think hard [restructuring his deal]. We kind of have our own A-list and B-list on how we’re going to do that.”
In 2023, Miller earned a base salary of $1.3 million and a maximum salary of $18.6 million, the third-highest salary on the team behind wide receiver Stephon Diggs. Restructuring the two big hitters made sense for the Bills because they’re committed to Allen for the long haul so moving his money on the road isn’t that big of a deal and the team is already committed to rushing pass from major ACL surgery through at least 2024 but may get out of a two-year deal Six years in the year 2026.
Other contract restructurings, such as those for Diggs and cornerback Tre ‘Davious White, is a possibility, Beane noted, and the Bills still have a variety of needs to address, including linebacker, safety, backup quarterback, running back and wide receiver/ Tight end, with relatively limited space to work with still to be a complaint while filling out the roster.
The Bills also made moves over the weekend to make space big, including signing linebacker Matt Milano to a two-year extension that created $6 million in space this year. Milano is now under contract with the team through 2026. The team has also restructured Tim Settle’s defense deal to open up $600,000 for 2023.
Buffalo had a busy Monday outside of setting up the cap room. The team re-signed Sam Martin to a three-year, no-maximum $1.665 million contract in 2023 that could be terminated after one year with little inclusion, re-signed linebacker Tyler Matakiewicz and defensive back Cam Lewis for one: of the year deals and added Dallas Cowboys guard Connor McGovern The former is in a three-year, $23 million deal.
