Matt Milano to stay with Bills after all: What his surprise contract extension means
Just when it looked like Matt Milano was out, the Bills Mafia pulled him back in.
Buffalo's fifth-year linebacker on Thursday agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $44 million just a day after general manager Brandon Beane cleared at least $17.5 million of additional salary cap space with various roster moves, including the jettisoning of wide receiver John Brown.
Milano seemed destined to become an unrestricted free agent at the start of the NFL's new league year next week.
But the 26-year-old Boston College product now is locked in on a backloaded deal, allowing the Bills to focus their shopping on other positions, such as defensive end, tight end and possibly re-signing starting offensive linemen Jon Feliciano and Daryl Williams.
According to Bills sideline reporter Sal Capaccio, Milano gets a signing bonus of $7 million that can be prorated over the length of a contract that starts with a base salary of just $5.3 million this year and jumps incrementally to a high of $9.55 million in 2024.
It means his cap hit for 2021 will be somewhere around $7 million, or less than half what he was projected by Spotrac to average per season had he hit the open market.
This is a coup for the Bills and Beane, the reigning NFL Executive of the Year who had the fan base braced for Milano's departure after strongly hinting the Bills would not be able to win a bidding war for his services.
Beane praised Milano after the season, but said the emerging player earned the right to test the market.
Milano and Tremaine Edmunds handle the two linebacker spots when the Bills are in a nickel defense, which is approximately 90% of the time.
Milano is especially adept in pass coverage, which makes him so valuable in today's game.
"He did a terrific job for us and his presence is felt out on the field," defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said, via the team's website. "Whether we are bringing him in pressure or if he was in coverage, he's a vital part to our success on defense.
Despite being limited by injuries to 10 regular-season games in 2020, Milano came through with career highs in sacks (3.5) and quarterback hits (9). The Bills lost just one game -- to Kansas City for the AFC championship -- in which he appeared.
There is little doubt Milano could have made more had he not accepted Buffalo's offer. But that's what a winning culture does, and it sure seems like Milano didn't want to be anywhere else.
Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro.
