Each year the NFL has a salary cap that has traditionally gone up every offseason in recent memory. In 2020, it was slated at 198.2 million and at one point a year or so ago, every team, such as the Bills and general manager Brandon Beane, expected that to happen once again.
Then the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic changed all of that. The cap is determined based upon the profit and net loss of the league from the previous season. Considering limited fans were allowed in venues the entire campaign across the country, the league took a financial dinged, and thus, the cap will as well in 2021.
Ahead of figuring out the final salary cap, the league and players’ association, agreed upon a floor of $175 million for the cap, earlier this year, which means it won’t go under that. On Thursday, that number was raised to $180M, so a step in a positive direction.
Now onto the Bills. What does it mean for them?
According to Spotrac, the Bills are in a grey area. If the cap lands at $185M, Buffalo has $4.5M in cap space.
While above the proposed floor, there’s much more good than bad to consider with this. Being under it would be better, but the Bills could be in much worse shape. Per Spotrac’s figures, NFL teams currently average being approximately $26M over the cap currently. Buffalo is well below that. Among that faction of teams includes seven clubs that are more than $100M over it. They have a lot more work to do than to than the Bills do.
Still, Beane discussed the cap at his end of season press conference last month. He said, as one would expect, knowing what was coming would have been much better for the Bills. Beane added he would have reconsidered some of his past signings if had a salary cap drop been possible.
“It’s one of those things you wish we knew a year ago, maybe we wouldn’t have made every move that we did. Maybe we wouldn’t have been so aggressive in some areas,” Beane said.
On Buffalo’s tasks at-hand, re-signing players is their main focus this offseason. The two at the top of the list for most include offensive lineman Daryl Williams and linebacker Matt Milano. Not only will Beane have to find a way to make room if he’d like to keep them via roster cuts or contract reconstructions, the GM will have to find room to sign new players.
Recent reports suggest cuts are likely on the way because of that latter. Buffalo has been connected to free agent defensive end J.J. Watt and in order to add him, Beane will have to find room by mid-March when the new league year begins. Plenty of time until then, though.
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