Ryan Bates is under contract with the Buffalo Bills for the 2024 season but he could be on the outside looking in.
The Bills matched an offer sheet the Chicago Bears signed Bates to in 2022. At the time, he was an important piece on the offensive line. Fast forward to now and he’s no longer a starter for the team.
Not only that, Buffalo had an extremely healthy offensive line in 2023 and they played well. Pro Football Focus named the Bills offensive line the sixth-best in the NFL this past season.
Despite all that, Bates is hopeful it works out for him in Buffalo still.
“I don’t want to go anywhere else,” said Bates told the Buffalo News. “I want to stay here. I don’t keep that a secret.”
Bates’ comments are expected since he is still under contract. However, his $5.5 million cap hit as a backup,espeically for a team that’s $40M over next year’s salary cap, is a hefty price to pay someone on the bench.
But could Buffalo re-work his deal and keep him in western New York? That’s a storyline to watch for this offseason.
At the time the Bills re-signed him, McDermott noted how important Bates as been to the team… both as a starter and backup.
“Ryan is a really good player and a really good person. He’s meant a lot to our football team, whether he was in a backup role or a starting role–He’s been a valuable piece to our team,” McDermott said in March 2022.
Bills Wire will provide coverage of all things Bills free agency throughout the offseason.
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