The Buffalo Bills have made significant moves to reduce their salary cap this offseason, and one analyst suggests more major changes could be on the horizon.
The team released several veteran players, including safety Jordan Poyer, cornerback Tre’Davious White, and center Mitch Morse, saving nearly $30 million in total. Additionally, the Bills traded top receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans.
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report predicts that the next big move could involve trading Von Miller. Despite Miller accepting a pay cut, he still accounts for $15.2 million against the cap for 2024. Ballentine highlighted Miller’s struggles after returning from a torn ACL and his costly contract.
“His new contract is heavy on incentives that could reportedly help him earn up to $20 million this season, but at 35 years old, the days of Miller being a dominant edge rusher are likely behind him,” Ballentine wrote.
Trading Miller after June 1 could save the Bills approximately $8.8 million against the cap by spreading the dead cap charge over two seasons. Ballentine noted that this saving could provide the Bills with an in-season fund for signing or trading players before the deadline. Miller’s $1.5 million base salary for the upcoming season might make him an appealing trade candidate despite his performance decline.
Miller struggled to pressure quarterbacks last season and fell to the bottom of the team’s defensive line rotation. “Miller didn’t come close to being worth that in the 2023 campaign. He played in 12 games due to injury and didn’t register a single sack. He played just 32 percent of the snaps and was part of the problem on defense,” Ballentine added.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane has not hesitated to make tough roster decisions this offseason, including trading Diggs to the Texans shortly after losing No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis in free agency. Beane emphasized the need to address Diggs’ large contract sooner rather than later, which netted the team a second-round draft pick in return.
“We think we can compete and do what we need to do by eating it now,” Beane said on The Athletic Football Show. “And not next year. Because if we didn’t, if we tried to come up with some way to split it up too many different ways, then now it’s just like that albatross hanging on your neck all year. You look at your cap and you’re going, Look how much money we still have dead.”
Trading Miller could similarly provide immediate cap relief, enabling greater flexibility for future team-building efforts.
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