Tag: AFC East

4 Bills players in line for contract extensions during the 2024 offseason

4 #Bills players in line for contract extensions during the 2024 offseason:

Again this offseason, Buffalo GM Brandon Beane and the front office have their work cut out for them.

This year, in particular, we might see offseason player personnel decisions ranging from last year’s supplemental short-term free agency additions to what could prove to be another asset packing and NFL Draft board movement masterclass to go up and get cost-controlled impact talent.

The Bills are among the teams with favorable Super Bowl odds ahead of their 2024 NFL season, this before they settle their roster via free agency and the draft.

While a number of players on the Buffalo roster are free agents, others may be up for contract restructuring or extensions.

Those extensions could be beneficial to players and the team alike, in that inking those new deals could also mean creating needed salary cap space for free-agency and draft timeframes.

With that here are four Bills players who could be in line for a contract extension this offseason:

10 Bills players who could restructure their contract during 2024 offseason

10 #Bills players who could restructure their contract during 2024 offseason :

The Buffalo Bills are over the salary cap to start the 2024 offseason and will have some financial maneuvering to do to reduce and get under while creating enough cap space to address their biggest needs.

OverTheCap.com projects a 2024 base salary cap of $242 million, which would put the Bills $50.6 million over at present.

While they’ll have the NFL Scouting Combine, College Pro Days, and player visits ahead they’ll also be tasked with getting under the cap by March 13th when the new league year begins, and before the start of free agency.

In addition to creating spending for free agency signings, they’ll also need to allocate space to sign their 2024 NFL draft class as well as to cover the cost of their practice squad.

with a number of players set to become free agents, GM Brandon Beane will be evaluating them versus talent on the market to make decisions on who to possibly sign and re-sign to improve the roster.

One way Beane has frequently freed up the necessary money to make those improvements has been through restructuring players’ contracts.

Here is a round-up of 10 current Bills players who could be restructuring candidates to help Buffalo’s salary cap situation in 2024:

Exploring the Bills’ biggest offseason needs in 2024

Exploring the #Bills’ biggest offseason needs in 2024:

The Buffalo Bills enter the offseason in an all-too-familiar place, coming off a third consecutive division-round exit from the NFL postseason.

With areas to strengthen and to improve upon from their 2023 campaign, GM Brandon Beane and the team’s front office are facing one of the most crucial offseasons of his tenure.

Beane will once more be tasked with ingenuity in creating the financial space off the field while adding talent and filling positions to improve the team.

With free agency, the NFL Draft, and big financial decisions on personnel and committing dollars ahead, here is a look at the biggest offseason needs for the Bills in 2024:

5 bold predictions for the Bills during 2024 offseason

5 bold predictions for the #Bills during 2024 offseason:

The 2023 NFL season has concluded for the Buffalo Bills with a third consecutive division-round playoff exit.

A change at offensive coordinator followed by a six-game winning streak brought the team from outside-the-playoff-picture-looking-in to a fourth straight AFC East crown and a No. 2 seed.

With another division-round exit, what might the time between now and when the Bills take the field again hold?

Here are five bold predictions for the Bills offseason:

Report card: Bills fall to Chiefs, 27-24

Report card: #Bills fall to #Chiefs, 27-24:

The Buffalo Bills 2023 NFL season has concluded and the Bills momentous six-game winning streak meeting it’s end.

The team won the AFC East for a fourth season and clinched the No. 2 seed as well as two home playoff games. While they defeated the Steelers in the wild card round, they lost Sunday to their playoff nemesis’s the Chiefs, ending their postseason.

With that, here is the BillsWire’s final report card for the Buffalo Bills 2023 season following the team’s 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs:

Rex Ryan ‘would not be shocked’ if Bill Belichick joins this AFC East contender

This would feel like a gut punch to Patriots fans

Bill Belichick is in need of a new head coaching gig, and the Buffalo Bills haven’t been able to get over the hump with Sean McDermott. Could Belichick and the Bills be a match made in heaven?

Rex Ryan thinks it’s a possibility.

On Monday, the former Bills coach made an appearance on ESPN’s “DiPietro & Rothenberg Show” and floated an idea that would keep the former New England Patriots coach in the AFC East with a possible Super Bowl contender.

“[The Bills] are so close, man. They are so close. They had a ton of injuries. They had all this type of stuff which they had—everybody has. Now, this is the craziest thing. This might be the spot where Bill Belichick goes,” said Ryan. “I’m just saying if ownership thinks you’ve taken this team as far as you can, which I’m not agreeing or saying that they should do it. But this could do it. Who could take this to the next level? Well, Bill Belichick. And I’m not saying it’s definitely going to happen, but I would not be shocked.”

Belichick joining the Bills would be a nightmare for the Patriots considering they’d have to face him twice a year.

On the other hand, it would be the perfect landing spot for the future Hall of Fame coach considering he’d already have an elite quarterback in place with Josh Allen. His ability to get the defense up and going again could be the turning point for the Bills.

Not only would Belichick be in a position to break Don Schula’s wins record, but he would have a legitimate shot at adding to his Super Bowl rings collection.

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What we learned from the Bills’ playoff loss to the Chiefs

What we learned from the #Bills’ playoff loss to the #Chiefs:

The Bills’ six-game winning streak and playoff run came to a windy and chilly end Sunday night at home in Highmark Stadium.

It didn’t help that it was against their AFC rival, the Kansas City Chiefs, who knocked Buffalo out of the playoffs for the third time in four years with a 27-24 victory.

That’s not to say the game wasn’t revealing in terms of insights and both pros and cons worth weighing going into the offseason.

With that, here are three things we learned from Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs:

Bills’ Josh Allen following Chiefs loss: ‘Losing sucks’

#Bills’ Josh Allen following #Chiefs loss: ‘Losing sucks’

The Buffalo Bills saw their season come to a chilling end on the frozen tundra of Orchard Park on a windy Sunday night.

The team lost 27-24 to none other than their postseason nemesis and AFC rival Kansas City Chiefs.

In what’s become a series of postseason matches between NFL heavyweight contenders turned rivals, the Bills have beaten the Chiefs three consecutive times in the regular season while Kansas City ended Buffalo’s playoff campaign and season three times now.

The Bills and their fans remember those losses all too well and with the latest one still fresh, so is the feeling for Buffalo QB Josh Allen.

“It sucks,” He said to the media. “Losing sucks. Losing to them, losing to anybody at home sucks.”

The first two playoff losses to the Chiefs took place in Kansas City as, aside from the three Super Bowls they’ve appeared in, the Chiefs had not played any other road games on the way there.

The Bills beat their AFC East rival Dolphins to claim their fourth division crown and the first No. 2 AFC playoff seed in HC Sean McDermott’s tenure and entered Sunday’s contest with momentum, riding a six-game winning streak that began with a 20-17 NFL Week 14 win over that very Chiefs team.

As a result, Andy Reid’s squad played their first non-Super Bowl road playoff game in none other than Buffalo, with the Bills entering the game as the favorite to leave Highmark Stadium with a victory.

While losing in front of the teams’ home crowd surely carries its own emotions, losing in general resonates with Buffalo’s quarterback regardless of location.

“Here, there, it doesn’t matter,” Allen added. “Losing sucks. I don’t know what else to say.”

Just as in past matchups between the teams, the Bills’ defense and special teams failed in needed moments, including a missed 44-yard field goal on the Bills’ last drive that would have tied the game with 1:47 left to play Sunday night.

“We were within a whisker of tying that game and maybe even taking the lead there against the defending world champs,” HC Sean McDermott said to the press postgame. “Again, we just didn’t do enough — starting with me — to win this game.”

When questioned during his postgame press conference about any changes or adjustments needed, Allen 

“I don’t think it’s a big change,” the quarterback continued. “I think it’s just, again, we’ve got to find a way to score one more point than they do. And every season, if you don’t win, it’s a failed season. That’s the nature of the business. There’s one happy team at the end of the season, really. And when it’s not you and you’re so close, it sucks.”

Allen taking responsibility and the high road as a leader with a focus on the offense is consistent with his character and as a professional.

The franchise and GM Brandon Beane now will face an offseason opportunity to shore up and strengthen their defense, who struggled to get stops including on the Chiefs final drive that ended Buffalo’s season.

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Bills’ Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox were taken aback by Josh Allen touchdown run

Bills’ Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox were taken aback by Josh Allen touchdown run:

The Bills welcomed the Steelers for a Wild Card round matchup at home in Orchard Park on Monday night

And Buffalo ended Pittsburgh’s season with a final score of 31-17

And the first several big scoring plays for Buffalo came by way of three of their biggest offensive players in the passing game.

Tight ends Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid created mismatches with their size while providing big targets for quarterback Josh Allen, who found each for the Bills’ first two touchdown catches of the game.

Knox came through when his number was called for a touchdown play for the second consecutive week, and is now tied for the second most postseason TD catches in Bills franchise history.

“I was surprised it was that open” the veteran noted after the game, as he and Kincaid fielded press conference questions on their respective scores.

“It was the look we wanted,” added Kincaid about his touchdown play. “I don’t want to say I knew right away, but I had a pretty good feeling pre-snap and then post-snap it’s exactly where we wanted them to go to and Josh threw a great ball.”

The rookie led all receivers with 59 yards and the score amidst a well-spread-out passing game.

The two catches for scores gave Buffalo an early 14-0 lead. It was the first time that two tight ends for a team caught first-quarter touchdown passes in NFL postseason history

Allen was firing on all cylinders. He went for 203 passing yards with three touchdown tosses and 74 yards on the ground including a 52-yard scoring run which was good for the longest carry of his career. It was also the second-longest quarterback run in postseason history.

“It was third and long they played man,” the Bills QB said while breaking his play down for the press. “Didn’t have a great man call on so I decided to try to find a lane and got 15, 20 yards downfield and there’s a lot of guys screaming ‘slide’ and I didn’t slide and scored, so it worked out that time.”

The breakout rushing play impressed both Bills’ tight ends as well.

“It’s almost normal now, him making a crazy play like that almost every single game,” Knox added. “Sometimes you just can’t help but sit back and be a fan.”

The Josh Allen experience is still a newer one to the rookie Kincaid.

“It’s still surprising to me,” Kincaid said of Allen’s big plays. “Like ‘how does he stay up? How does he get the extra yards?’ and then tonight was ‘how did he score that touchdown?’, so I don’t know when it’ll get normal but it’s cool to watch.”

The Bills quarterback was firing on all cylinders. He went for 203 passing yards with three touchdown tosses and 74 yards on the ground including a 52-yard touchdown run which was good for the longest carry of his career.

“He’s a special player,” Kincaid added. “Best quarterback in the league for a reason.”

Josh Allen on Bills facing Chiefs: ‘It’s going to take a team effort’

Josh Allen on Bills facing Chiefs: ‘It’s going to take a team effort’

The Buffalo Bills beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-17 on a snowy night at Highmark Stadium Monday in the Wild Card round to open their postseason campaign.

This after a 5-0 run of the table by the Bills, capped off by defeating the Miami Dolphins in South Florida to end the regular season and claim their fourth straight AFC East crown and the No. 2 AFC playoff seed.

Buffalo needed a victory to advance back to the Division round and host AFC rival and past playoff nemesis, the Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday.

And they did just that.

A year after an unceremonious loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at home in the Divisional round, HC Sean McDermott and his team find themselves back on their home field with a shot at redemption and a chance to return to the AFC Championship game.

“That’s a heck of an opponent,” McDermott said about facing Kansas City. “We’ll have to regroup tomorrow as a staff and I know some of our staff has already been working on the Chiefs, and that’s kind of what you do as a position coach, you’re able to look ahead a little bit.”

Buffalo lost their two previous postseason meetings with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in contests where the Bills’ offense gave them leads late in games, only for their defense and special teams to struggle to get stops.

Bills QB Josh Allen knows all too well that they’ll need to compete in all three phases for them to have a chance for victory.

“It’s gonna take a team effort,” Allen said postgame via CBS. “They’re playing really good football right now. We know the type of team that they are and obviously the type of quarterback that they have in Pat over there. We’re gonna need everybody in Bills Mafia to be here and support us, and I’m just thanking God that we get another chance to play another game.”

For the second game in a row, the Bills were riddled with injuries and will await word on the status of certain players ahead of the division-round matchup.

“I hate to see guys go down on either side of the ball really, it’s one of the things I pray for before every game is making sure that both sides are safe from serious injury,” Allen said during his media session.

With this past weekend’s scheduled Sunday afternoon game being moved to Monday night due to weather, it leaves one less day of recovery for the Bills before their next game.

“I mean you guys have heard we got the 24-hour rule, but when it’s a short week it’s got to be even quicker than that,” TE Dawson Knox said about the Bills’ turnaround time. “That 24-hour window to kind of enjoy the win, it’s got to be a little shorter so you know we’ll be getting in the training room even tonight taking care of our bodies, we got some players banged up that we’ll need, so we’ll be turning the page pretty quick.”

A man of few words known as stoic by his teammates, RB James Cook who led the ground game with 79 yards rushing on Monday perhaps said it best when asked about the matchup with Kansas City. 

“Two good game teams ready to come and play. May the best team win.”

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