We are still in the early stages of the 2021 offseason, but it’s still assumed by many that the Bills will look to change some things up in the trenches on defense ahead of next season.
Buffalo has had a successful defense in recent years, but in 2020, the group fell off. Part of that was a lack of a pass rush. With only 38 sacks, the Bills were right in the middle of the NFL in that category.
In trying to pump out more sacks next season, the Bills could sign some new free agents, and Bleacher Report thinks the Bills can’t really do worse than they did last offseason.
B/R recently counted down the top-10 worst free agent deals handed out in 2020. The Bills’ signing of Mario Addison topped the list:
With the Bills projected to be just under the salary cap and able to save $6.2 million by cutting Addison, this may end up being a one-year deal that costs roughly $14 million. The presence of 2020 second-round pick A.J. Epenesa also does nothing to help Addison’s job security.
If Addison sticks around for 2021, it could be a two-year deal worth more than $22 million, as he’ll still have $2 million in dead money remaining on his contract next offseason.
For this investment, Buffalo got 15 games, five sacks and just 11 quarterback pressures in 2020. While Addison was coming off four straight campaigns with at least nine sacks when this pact was signed, his age and the contract structure made this a poor long-term investment.
Based on what Buffalo has gotten in return and what it’s likely to get, this is arguably the worst contract to be handed out in 2020 free agency.
As laid out by B/R, Addison being cut could make some sense this offseason. Not only dollar-wise, but opening up a roster spot for someone else, too.
While the Bills did not land JJ Watt recently, their pursuit of him indicates that Buffalo is probably going to do something about Addison and cutting him seems like the most-likely outcome. Really, it just depends when they decide to.
If Buffalo does so before free agency opens, they’ll added $6.2 million in cap space. However, if the Bills wait until after June 1 to cut Addison, the savings jumps to $8.2M, but then of course, general manager Brandon Beane won’t be able to use that cap space until after that point.
Decisions, decisions… but one thing that’s for sure: Addison was not an impactful piece for the Bills in 2020.
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