Buffalo Bills' Plan to Save Over $30 Million After Rush of Roster Moves

Here is what should come next for the Bills after releasing Taron Johnson, Taylor Rapp and Curtis Samuel.

Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox (88) is unable to make the catch against the Cleveland Browns during the second half at Huntington Bank Field. | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

After the Buffalo Bills made a flurry of salary-cap-saving moves on Friday, questions began to arise regarding the team’s expected next steps before becoming cap compliant by the start of the NFL’s new league year.

There are a number of levers the Bills can pull over the next several days to get under the $301.2 million figure set by the league and a few big names could be on their way out the door, while a few other stars may need to have their contracts reconsidered.

Here are a few actions the team should take to set themselves up favorably moving forward:

Initiate Dawson Knox pay cut

Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox (88) reacts during the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars in an AFC Wild Card Round game at EverBank Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

There is no chance Knox will go into the 2026 season with the Bills under his current contract. The Bills will either release him or he will take a pay cut and relieve the Bills of the $17M he is set to count against the cap this year.

If the Bills were to release the veteran tight end, they would generate $9.6M in salary cap savings, per Spotrac.

Restructure Josh Allen’s contract

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen keeps the ball and gets about five yards on the play during first half action. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Allen’s $56.3M cap hit is likely to be brought down considerably before Mar. 11.

The Bills’ quarterback previously restructured his contract in 2024 and something similar will likely take place in the coming days to help the Bills gain much-needed breathing room. This year, the most feasible route is reworking the deal to create somewhere between $12M and $13M in cap room.

Convert Ed Oliver’s salary to signing bonus

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) is sacked by Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) during the second half of a game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Spotrac laid out a reasonable path to creating more space.

“If an extension is passed over for DT Ed Oliver, Buffalo can open up over $10.7M of cap space by converting salary to signing bonus (plus void years),” wrote Michael Ginnitti.

Oliver is set to enter 2026 carrying a $23.9M cap hit after a season that was plagued by injuries. The Bills’ star defensive tackle appeared in just three games during this past season.

Cut Tyler Bass

Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass (2) against the Kansas City Chiefs during the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Brandon Beane has already made comments that point toward Bass being back as the Bills’ starting kicker. However, after missing the entire 2025 season due to injury, time will tell if Beane’s indication plays itself out.

If the Bills decided to send Bass packing, it would create nearly $3M in cap savings.

According to Spotrac, the Bills are currently about $24M over the cap, including the trade for DJ Moore, which was reported on Thursday.