Analysis: After Josh Allen deal and slew of extensions, Bills GM Brandon Beane's to-do list becomes clear
In getting so many contract extensions done before the start of the league year, Beane has given himself something that’s exceptionally valuable in a salary-cap world: cost certainty.
In case you need a reminder, free agency in the NFL doesn’t even begin until Wednesday.
You’d be forgiven if that escaped you based on the onslaught of news made recently by the Buffalo Bills. General manager Brandon Beane has been busy handing out contracts – the biggest and most important of which came Sunday night when the team agreed to a six-year deal with star quarterback Josh Allen worth up to $330 million.
The Bills “by far should be getting the award for most proactive team of the year,” Jason Fitzgerald, founder of sports financial website Over the Cap, wrote via social media Sunday night.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane has been busy this offseason, handing out four contract extensions potentially worth more than $500 million.
Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News
In the past two weeks, Beane has given out four contract extensions – to Allen, wide receiver Khalil Shakir, defensive end Greg Rousseau and linebacker Terrel Bernard – totaling more than $510 million if all of them play out their contracts. Bernard, Shakir and Rousseau are signed through 2028, and Allen will be in Buffalo through the 2030 season if he plays out his deal.
The exact structure of Allen’s deal is not yet clear, so the exact ramifications of it on the Bills' 2025 salary cap aren’t known yet. He was scheduled to have a $44.731 million cap hit in 2025. The likelihood is that number will decrease somewhat for the upcoming season as his bonus money is spread out.
That should help the Bills get cap-compliant, which they will need to be by 4 p.m. Wednesday when the new league year starts.
In getting so many contract extensions done before the start of the league year, Beane has given himself something that’s exceptionally valuable in a salary-cap world: cost certainty. He knows how much his quarterback is going to cost on the cap for the next six years, which allows him to build out the roster from there without the uncertainty of what it will cost to keep Allen.
With his new deal, which will average $55 million per year, Allen accounts for 19.7% of the current salary cap of $279.2 million. That ranks 13th among quarterbacks in terms of percentage of the cap at the time of signing, according to sports financial website Spotrac.com.
In short, Allen could have asked for more. Instead, he took a team-friendly deal that should allow Beane to build a competitive roster around his quarterback.
That process will begin in the coming days. Agents of players with expiring contracts can begin negotiations with teams Monday. Here is a look at what’s left on Beane’s to-do list:
Bills' unrestricted free agents
Rousseau, Bernard and Shakir all had one year left on their contracts before they signed extensions, and Allen had four. The only player on an expiring deal who has re-signed so far is long snapper Reid Ferguson, who signed a four-year extension Saturday.That leaves the Bills with 10 players who ended the season on their active roster set to hit the open market Wednesday: wide receiver Amari Cooper, cornerback Rasul Douglas, safety Damar Hamlin, wide receiver Mack Hollins, defensive end Dawuane Smoot, running back Ty Johnson, fullback Reggie Gilliam and defensive tackles Austin Johnson, Quinton Jefferson and Jordan Phillips.
Among that group, Cooper and Douglas figure to get the biggest contracts. Because of that, it’s far from a sure thing either of them will be back in Buffalo.
Hollins had a strong 2024 season and is valued in the locker room for his leadership, so he would seemingly be a priority. Gilliam led the team in snaps on special teams and brings some versatility to the offense. Johnson had a strong season as the team’s third running back. They, too, figure to be targets for Beane to re-sign.
Adding edge rushers
Before Allen’s extension, the Bills made headlines earlier Sunday by releasing veteran defensive end Von Miller. Given Miller’s age (36 later this month), declining role and production (just 16 snaps in the AFC championship game loss) and salary (a cap hit of more than $23 million for 2025), his release was not a surprise. Nevertheless, it does leave the Bills with just three defensive ends under contract for next season – Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa and Javon Solomon. Rebuilding the defensive line figured to be a priority for Beane even before Miller was released.Fans hoping for a big move via trade – either for the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby or the Browns’ Myles Garrett – had their hopes dashed after both players signed big-money contract extensions with their current teams. Garrett’s deal was announced Sunday, a short time after Miller was released.
The Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson – who led the league with 17½ sacks last season and has 35 sacks over the past two years – now has permission to seek a trade. Perhaps Beane can make a deal with the Bengals, although it’s fair to wonder whether Cincinnati would want to trade with an AFC contender.
If Hendrickson isn’t available to the Bills, Beane will have to either find another trade target, explore free agency or center his efforts to bolster the position on the draft.
Bills must create more cap space
Allen and Rousseau's new deals have likely lowered their cap hits for 2025, which should get the Bills under in time for the start of the new league year.However, Beane will need room to operate in free agency, either by re-signing his own players or going outside the organization. He can create some additional space via contract maneuvers with defensive tackle Ed Oliver and left tackle Dion Dawkins, converting a portion of their base salaries into signing bonuses. Doing so with both players can open up about $18 million in cap space, which the team will need.
Other than Miller, the only other player released in a money-saving move so far has been punter Sam Martin. It’s possible Beane trims the roster in the coming days, although there are no plainly obvious cut candidates.
Working on Bills' 2026 free agents
Beane got a lot of that work done in the past couple of weeks, but running back James Cook and cornerback Christian Benford are two high-profile players going into the final year of their rookie contracts. Cook hasn’t been shy about going public with his request for $15 million annually on a new deal.It's not yet clear how that situation will play out, but with Allen’s deal now done, Beane has a better idea of what he’s got to spend, both for the 2025 season and beyond