Offensive lineman Ryan Bates was signed to an offer sheet by the Chicago Bears. As a restricted free agent, the Buffalo Bills had the option to match any contract he lands with another team. That’s exactly what they did.
Once the Bills add a contract to their books, they can do whatever they want with it.
In a way to put their own spin on Bates’ new deal, Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane worked with the lineman to restructure that new contract… already.
According to a report from The Athletic, the Bills and Bates reworked his freshly signed deal in an effort to open up $1.125 million in salary cap space:
It looks like the Bills already restructured Ryan Bates' contract by turning $1.5M of his 2022 base salary into a bonus, according to his most recent contract update.
The move cleared $1.125M in cap space.
— Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) April 8, 2022
With Bates’ offer on the ledger, the Buffalo was pushed right up against the salary cap so the changes come as little surprise.
Per Bears Wire, the contract offered to the 25-year-old from Chicago was a four-year deal worth $17 million. The first two years — $8.8M — are fully guaranteed.
Bates, 25, was an undrafted free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019 before being traded to Buffalo. Bates had been a versatile backup with the Bills for his first few seasons in the NFL until 2021.
Through the final four games and postseason last year, Bates took over as a starter and did not look back.
On paper, Bates is slated to be a starter at guard for the Bills in 2022 along with the recently added Rodger Saffold. The team will look for Bates to earn his playing time throughout this summer, though.
[lawrence-related id=99626,99619,99622]