Thank you for all of these insights, Barley! I wish I had a better understanding of the cap. I listen to a lot of podcasts and I really enjoy Greg Thompsett's explanations on how the cap can be manipulated within reason, which is essentially a strategic "kicking of the can". So 2024 was definitely a "take your lumps" type of year with the cap but I guess I was foolishly optimistic about 2025 and being more middle of the pack as far as cap space. When I check out Spotrac's 2025 team cap space rankings, it looks pretty depressing to see the Bills sitting at 4th to last, with teams like the Chiefs and the Ravens having 4-5X more cap room. I know that there are levers to pull and ways to free up space but don't many teams have similar available options? In your opinion, are the Bill really close to the bottom of the league again as far as cap space or does this ranking not really paint an accurate picture?
https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/cap/_/year/2025/sort/cap_maximum_space