Bills notebook: Beane having 'dialogue' with Knox; Brown's contract restructured
With Bills tight end Dawson Knox set to count $17.8 million against the cap next season, general manager Brandon Beane has to make some decisions. “He has a tough number as we go into the season,” Beane said Tuesday of Knox. “And so we got to figure that out.”
Brandon Beane believes that Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox brings more to the team than just his on-field production.
“When you're talking about a guy like Dawson and what he brings, it's also the value in the locker room, off the field,” Beane said.
But Beane, the Bills' general manager and president of football operations, still has to put a value on those intangibles. And with Knox set to count $17.8 million against the cap next season, Beane has to make some decisions.
“He has a tough number as we go into the season,” Beane said Tuesday of Knox. “And so we got to figure that out.”
Bills tight end Dawson Knox and general manager Brandon Beane have had some dialogue regarding his contract situation.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Beane said that Knox came to Beane’s office to talk the day after the season ended. Beane also noted his good relationship with Knox’s agent, Chase Callahan. In both cases, Beane thinks the conversations begin with trust and honesty.
“We've had some dialogue,” Beane said. “We're not to the point where we need to do anything yet; we'll continue those. We know, like many decisions we have, we know we're down to a couple of weeks to make those. And so, there's no answer, there's no resolution in the next 24 hours or anything like that.
“But the discussions have happened, and they'll continue.”
If Knox were to take a pay cut, Beane said the numbers would still have to make sense for the tight end.
“Everyone wants to feel respected, and they're worth, and he knows his role on this team,” Beane said. “And so, we'd be crazy not to want to Dawson Knox back. We know we have to make it work for him and work for us. And so, it's TBD, at this point, again, like it is with some other players.”
Brown’s contract restructured
The Bills have restructured the contract of right tackle Spencer Brown, Beane said. Beane estimated that the move would save about $10.4 million against the salary cap.Brown, 27, signed a four-year, $72 million extension with the Bills in 2024 to keep him under contract through 2028. Given his age and his performance, Brown was a likely candidate for a contract restructure.
Beane noted that there could be other players whom he would also restructure their contracts.
“As we did with Spencer Brown, we've already kicked the can down the road on some money there,” Beane said. “We may have to do that with someone else.”
Still, there’s a balance for the Bills' general manager.
“But I also want to be mindful, as I tell you guys, I don't want to put too much of that down the road to where we walk into a year and we've got a major problem just to get under and now we're just cutting players just to get to the draft, and we're really fielding a team that's not set up for success,” Beane said.
“So, those are the decisions we have to continue to make. There are a lot of different ways to do it.”
Injury updates
Beane said that defensive end Michael Hoecht (Achilles), defensive end Landon Jackson (knee), and kicker Tyler Bass (pelvis/groin) have been spending time in Orchard Park as they rehab from their respective injuries. All three landed on injured reserve this season and did not return.“Those guys are all around, and they're all rehabbing,” Beane said. “I don't have, like, dates or timelines. I would say Tyler is the closest to the sports hernia. The other guys will be into the spring, but they're there.”
