6 moves that would save $44 million in cap space for Bills

The Buffalo Bills are currently projected over the salary cap, but there are several moves they can do, to get cap compliant and sign some free agents.

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The Buffalo Bills are projected to exceed the NFL salary cap limit, meaning general manager Brandon Beane has to find a way to clear some space this offseason.

Spotrac projects the upcoming salary cap at $275 million, which puts the Bills over by more than $12 million. The official numbers haven't come out yet, but these projections should prove to be close.

Beane's offseason decisions will also include which of their 12 unrestricted free agents to re-sign, which again, will cost money. There are a handful of players on rookie deals that may get contract extensions this summer. Again, that will cost money. The moral of the story is the Bills need to clear money off the current cap to make some of these moves happen, and here are six moves Beane can make to create more than $44 million in space. All projected cap numbers and savings are from OverTheCap.com.

Restructure quarterback Josh Allen

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Josh Allen signed his contract extension in 2021, valued at $258 million and $43 million average annually. The Bills can nearly balance their entire cap by restructuring Allen's contract, creating a cap savings of $11,058,750. One possibility here is a new extension. How much money would be freed up under this option is unknown as it's dependent on the years and money, but this could result in huge savings on the 2025 cap.

Restructure offensive tackle Dion Dawkins

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Dion Dawkins just signed a new contract extension valued at more than $60 million, with an annual average of slightly over $20 million. The Bills can restructure Dawkins's deal by pushing money into future years creating additional cap relief over $9.8 million.

Restructure defensive tackle Ed Oliver

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Ed Oliver signed his contract extension in 2023, valued at $68 million, with an annual average of $17 million. Oliver was seemingly plagued by inconsistency this season, but if the Bills can upgrade the defensive tackle next to him, it'll help free up the 2019 first-round pick to make plays. A restructuring of Oliver's contract would give the Bills over $8.7 million in cap relief.

Release or renegotiate Von Miller's contract

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We spoke on the Von Miller situation in more depth previously, but Beane has a couple of options here. One that includes releasing Miller before June 1st, resulting in a cap savings of nearly $8.4 million. Miller has expressed his desire to return, so another option is for him to agree to renegotiate his contract in a manner that would achieve the same cap savings.

Restructure wide receiver Curtis Samuel

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Curtis Samuel signed a free agent contract in 2024, a three-year deal, worth $24 million. Samuel, by all accounts, did not have the impact on the Bills offense everyone expected. He did start to come on late in the season, and hopefully, with injuries behind him, 2025 might be different. If the Bills restructure his contract this season, they will get a cap savings of more than $3.8 million.

Trade cornerback Kaiir Elam

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Unless the Bills trade Kaiir Elam, he will be on the roster for the 2025 season. Releasing him does nothing for the salary cap, but if they can trade him, they would incur a cap savings of over $2.5 million. Elam, as a first-round pick, has been a disappointment. However, there may be another team that believes they can help him turn his career around.

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