Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Obviously, this is great news for quarterback Josh Allen, and when you look at the 2020 Buffalo offense – one that set multiple team records including points scored with 501 – the only starter who won’t be returning is wide receiver John Brown whose release last week helped create some of the salary cap space that was used to re-sign the free agents.’

‘“Me and my agent felt very comfortable with the numbers and then the organization is amazing,” Williams told reporters during a Zoom call Friday afternoon. “I told my agent that we definitely wanted to make Buffalo our No. 1 spot if we can make it happen. So I’m glad it did.”’

‘Milano agreed Thursday to a four-year, $44 million deal that includes $24 million in guaranteed money to stay with the Bills, something that came as a surprise because it didn’t seem possible that the Bills could find enough money to keep him.’

‘Instead, I would re-sign Isaiah McKenzie at a much more palatable rate to reprise his diverse role in the offense, look to Gabriel Davis to be the No. 2 outside receiver which he proved he can be as a rookie, groom Isaiah Hodgins to become a contributor, and draft someone to develop.’

‘Defensive tackle Vernon Butler, who was a prime candidate to be released given the $6.8 million in savings he would have represented, has reportedly agreed to a pay cut to stay with the team. It’s unknown how much less he’ll be making and what the cap savings would be.’

‘McKenzie, who Daboll calls “an Energizer bunny,” can do a little bit of everything as he can line up outside or in the slot, and he was often the player Daboll would put in motion which served two purposes – to get the defense to notice him and perhaps take one eye off another receiver like Stefon Diggs or Cole Beasley, and to help Allen determine what coverage the defense might be in.’

‘The biggest reason why the Bills didn’t tag anyone is that their salary cap situation is tight. Currently, based on a $185 million cap, sports financial website spotrac.com has the Bills with approximately $6.5 million in available cap space for the top 51 salaries (which are the ones that count against the cap right now).’

‘“I mean, what a selfless guy,” Beane said. “Some guys are the backup and they’re itching to play. Matt’s a competitor, he wants to play, but his first thing every day he walks in this door is to help Josh Allen be the best version of himself and that’s why it’s been so great to have him.” And then, came the key portion of that quote as Beane ended it saying, “We’ll see on the business side where that ends up.”’

‘Part of the holdup in those negotiations centers on the league’s TV contract talks which are ongoing and the union wants to see how much of a windfall teams will receive from the networks and/or streaming services in play.’

‘The team will send a letter this week to season-ticket holders announcing the price hikes as it will try to recoup a small fraction of the lost revenue from 2020 when fans were not allowed to attend any of the eight regular-season games, and only 6,700 were admitted for each of the two playoff games.’

‘The combine has long been considered one of the most important weeks of the offseason and what makes it so valuable is that it brings together approximately 330 of the top draft-eligible college players to one place, where everything is apples to apples.’

‘Coaches have long insisted that the time teams get to spend together in the offseason is invaluable, but as we found out in 2020, that was, by and large, a load of crap. I have long believed that the bulk of the offseason work teams put in was unnecessary, and until 2020, all you had to do was wind the clock back to the Buffalo Bills’ Super Bowl years.’

‘“As the season progresses and as the vaccine becomes more mainstream, I think that will help us a lot to get back to those years where we had sellouts,” she said. “I’m very optimistic that we’re going to be at a better place but also being realistic that we do have a lot of hurdles to get through. That’s next season, that’s September. A lot can happen between now and September so I’m hoping for all good things and looking forward to having our fans back.”’

‘However, the one problem the Bills are facing is the salary cap because at present, they have no room to sign Watt. The Bills are already going to have to cut several players and will probably restructure other contracts just to give them the ability to re-sign some of their own free agents, most prominently offensive linemen Daryl Williams and Jon Feliciano, and linebacker Matt Milano.’

‘The fifth-year option applies only to first-round draft picks and it allows teams the ability to lock up a player, albeit at a big price, for an extra season beyond the standard four-year rookie contract all draft choices sign. The decision on that must happen following the player’s third season which, for Allen and Edmunds, is upon us. The deadline is May 3.’