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Veteran pass-catcher identified as Buffalo Bills worst free-agent signing of 2024

Bills GM Brandon Beane 2024 free-agent class produced mixed results, but this veteran pass-catcher failed to live up to expectations.

Chris Pirrone

Bills General Manager Brandon Beane
Bills General Manager Brandon Beane / Shawn Dowd / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane has made some savvy trades and free agency signings over his seven year tenure. But we know that NFL free agency is a dangerous game and can hamper a teams long term salary cap if high priced free agents turn out to be busts.

For the past several years, the Bills have been seen as being just a few starters away from a Super Bowl appearance. Beane's 2024 free agency class was important given the key exits and player turnover the Bills had before the season, with starters WR Diggs, WR S Poyer, S Hyde, WR Davis and C Morris and C White, among others departing.

RELATED: Updates on offseason departures that were supposed to sink first-place Bills

Pro Football Focus recently ranked each NFL team's best and worst free-agency signings of 2024naming WR Curtis Samuel as the worst for the Bills

SIGNING FREE AGENT CURTIS SAMUEL

Curtis Samuel signed a a 3 year $24 million free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills before this season. In 2024 his salary and bonuses were low to keep the cap impact to a minimum, with only a $3.4M cap hit in 2024. In 2025, Samuel will carry a cap hit of $9M and a dead cap value of $11M. In 2026, the last year of his deal, Samuel has $9.7M cap hit and carries $3.4M dead cap value should they choose to release him.

Given the 2025 $11M dead cap hit should he be released, its safe to assume Samuel will return in 2025.

RELATED 2025 FREE AGENCY: Buffalo Bills urged to pursue star free agent wide receiver

curtis samuel
Nov 17, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel (1) is tackled by Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook (6) / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Pro Football Focus' 'WORST' DESIGNATION

PFF explains their "worst" designation: "Samuel has produced at a significantly lower clip than the aforementioned Hollins despite signing a contract that pays him more than triple the annual value," PFF's Dalton Wasserman said. "He amassed just 253 receiving yards in the regular season. Cutting him this offseason doesn’t bring Buffalo much benefit with regard to the salary cap, but Samuel will need better production in 2025 if he hopes to get another solid payday."

Samuel's 2024 stats were very pedestrian. He played in 14 games, was targeted 46 times and had 31 catches for 253 yards. Samuel only scored 1 touchdown all season. This was after back to back 60+ catch seasons with Washington in 2022 and 2023.

For comparison, WR Amari Cooper who only played in 8 games for Buffalo, had 20 catches for 297 receiving yards and RB Ty Johnson had 18 catches for 284 yards. Even Rookie Keon Coleman outperformed Samuel, with 29 catches for 556 yards and four touchdowns.

curtis samuel
Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel (1) makes a touchdown catch against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second half in the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Samuel did make some impact in the three playoff games, securing 6 of 8 targets for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns. But most of that production was against the Broncos in the wild card game (3-3, 68 yards and a touchdown). In the AFC Championship game against the Chiefs, he had 1 catch for 4 yards and one touchdown.

Given the 2025 negative cap impact should Samuel be cut, assume Samuel will return in 2025. Expect OC Joe Brady and QB Josh Allen to find ways to better utilize the talented wideout.

curtis samuel
Sep 23, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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Chris Pirrone
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