Matt Milano agrees to pay cut, 2025 becomes final year of his deal

[PoundingDog]

8 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

This is great news...frees up cap this year and we are free of the contract next year without a dead cap hit. 

Not sure. There might be void years cap hit next year.

2 minutes ago, Magox said:

Dorian is fine but I don't think they will just settle with him being an entrenched starter.

Dorian will be entering year 3 while Milano is still ahead of him. I don't know how much an entrenched starter he will be for a "show us" year 4. The Bills did spend a draft pick on a LB last year so there is some depth.

[HappyDays]

18 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

As someone said, it's the player betting on himself to make the money back in incentives and to be able to hit the market once more while they may still have some gas in the tank.

 

Milano was supposed to make $9.375M base salary in 2026 plus whatever bonuses he was scheduled to make. Almost no chance he is making that on the open market next year. He is also willingly giving up $3.6M in salary this year and is not likely to earn all of it back, as his agent would have made very clear to him.

 

No player who takes a pay cut is "betting on themselves." Agents would never advise that. They're just accepting the reality that if they get released they're likely to take an even larger pay cut from their next team.

 

The positive spin about Von taking a pay cut out of the goodness of his heart was a total fabrication. The team knew he was going to be suspended and came to him with a compromise that favored them, and he smartly took it because the alternative was to get cut and make even less money on the open market.

 

18 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Still, I talked to a sports agent friend of mine who said that from the player's point of view, your objective is to be a free agent as often as possible, because every time you're a free agent it's another chance for a big pay day.  

 

I would think that aphorism doesn't ring true for a 30+ year old player with a vast injury history. Make no mistake - Milano didn't want this, but it was the lesser of two evils.

 

Edited yesterday at 04:02 PM by HappyDays

[bills_fan]

30 minutes ago, akinko_kd said:

I have a feeling he's thinking of retiring after this season, in my opinion.

 

 

As do I.  My "sources" tell me he just bought a home in East Aurora and plans to make WNY his home long term.  Which is actually pretty awesome.  Maybe he could move  into coaching w the Bills after this year?  IDK.

[Virgil]

41 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

Before anyone asks - this doesn't signal any upcoming FA additions. OTC is reporting Milano signed the revised contract on March 5 so this was done basically in secret to let the Bills make the additions they've already made.

 

What FA's will be able to sign as a result of this?

[ColoradoBills]

15 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

This is great news...frees up cap this year and we are free of the contract next year without a dead cap hit.  Like most have already said, this is probably his swan song as a Bill.  Not out of the question they bring him back next year on a cheap deal, but feels unlikely now with Bernard locked up and Dorian here.  

 

That I'm not sure of.  Milano had signing bonus and option bonus with $10M still in dead cap.  He has already been paid that money.

I don't believe Matt is giving any of that money back.  I'll wait and see when the new terms come out.

[HappyDays]

1 minute ago, Virgil said:

 

What FA's will be able to sign as a result of this?

 

Zach Ertz?

[Lost]

3 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 

What FA's will be able to sign as a result of this?

 

 

[ColoradoBills]

Spotrac now has $3M more in cap space with the new contract.  

Here is Matt's new deal.

I know a lot about NFL contracts, but someone has to explain "Vesting" to me.  LOL.

Looks like an $11M dead cap next year, like I expected.

 

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/player/_/id/21905/matt-milano

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

35 minutes ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

Sort of wonder if he didn’t do this, whether the Bills were going to cut him.

 

They were not, they would definitely have cut him next season though.  

12 minutes ago, Magox said:

I haven't seen enough of him to form a solid opinion about him one way or the other.

 

I do think the Bills will draft a LB with one of their picks this year to compete for a roster spot with the hopes of eventually becoming a meaningful player that contributes.

 

Dorian is fine but I don't think they will just settle with him being an entrenched starter.

 

Agreed.  This season's the best season to plan for post-milano. 

[MrEpsYtown]

9 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 

What FA's will be able to sign as a result of this?

 

Nothing left! Maybe a corner or two. 

[nosejob]

8 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 

What FA's will be able to sign as a result of this?

Julian Blackmon n  Z'darius Smith? Prefer Blackmon

[The Jokeman]

Sounds like we're looking to add someone to a few someones.

[Mat68]

More Dorian Williams in 25.  

[FireChans]

1 hour ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

In theory, that would be the best for the Bills.  

A rework of the Knox contract would be something.  I know, I'm greedy.  LOL.

We did that last year 

 

Edited yesterday at 04:17 PM by FireChans

[bills_fan]

8 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said:

Spotrac now has $3M more in cap space with the new contract.  

Here is Matt's new deal.

I know a lot about NFL contracts, but someone has to explain "Vesting" to me.  LOL.

Looks like an $11M dead cap next year, like I expected.

 

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/player/_/id/21905/matt-milano

 

 

But the dead cap hit is only if released right?  How can there be a dead cap hit after the contract ends?

[Matt_In_NH]

38 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

and we are free of the contract next year without a dead cap hit.

I think there is an 11M dead cap.............

[Shaw66]

9 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

Milano was supposed to make $9.375M base salary in 2026 plus whatever bonuses he was scheduled to make. Almost no chance he is making that on the open market next year. He is also willingly giving up $3.6M in salary this year and is not likely to earn all of it back, as his agent would have made very clear to him.

 

No player who takes a pay cut is "betting on themselves." Agents would never advise that. They're just accepting the reality that if they get released they're likely to take an even larger pay cut from their next team.

 

The positive spin about Von taking a pay cut out of the goodness of his heart was a total fabrication. The team knew he was going to be suspended and came to him with a compromise that favored them, and he smartly took it because the alternative was to get cut and make even less money on the open market.

 

 

I would think that aphorism doesn't ring true for a 30+ year old player with a vast injury history. Make no mistake - Milano didn't want this, but it was the lesser of two evils.

 

I hear you, but there's a lot going on in these situations.  As we know, the recent trend has been for teams in contention to pick up free agents in October, stars probably past their prime, in the hope that they'll bring a spark to the team at a key position. In Miller's case, I think he really was betting that he'd shine in 2024 and be worth a lot to someone midseason in 2025.  If not betting, hoping.  Yes, he knew the Bills would cut him, but he was eyeing one more nice pay day, even if it wasn't a mega-contract.  A one-year $12 million deal looked pretty nice to Bosa, and I'm sure Miller was hoping he could perform well in 2024 and get a similar one-year deal. 

 

In Milano's case, it's even more true.  He knows he's done in Buffalo and is at risk of being cut now if he doesn't redo his deal, he believes he still can play, and the chances of his catching on with a team and getting another nice deal. He also wants to stay with the Bills this season to have a run at a championship.  If he has a good season, being a free agent next year is much better than in two years. 

 

All three guys - Miller, Taylor, Milano, were being told "you aren't worth what we promised to pay you, so much so that it makes sense for us to let you go now than keep you."  All three believed in themselves and believed that the best way to collect another big check was to restructure.  They all did it because playing in the current year made more sense than getting cut, because all three were coming of seasons that would limit their value in the market. All three were betting they'd have a good final year with the Bills and they'd capitalize on it in free agency in a year.    

 

So, sure, they don't like the message that they'll be cut sooner rather than later, but under that circumstance, the best move is to play one more year, count on making it a good one, and then hit free agency.  Getting cut immediately, after a weak season, hurts them in free agency.  In that sense, they're betting on themselves, because the plan depends on their having a good current season. 

[ColoradoBills]

4 minutes ago, bills_fan said:

 

 

But the dead cap hit is only if released right?  How can there be a dead cap hit after the contract ends?

 

His dead cap is from his previous contract's signing and option bonus.  No way out of that.

I just never seen this Vesting Status before.  He will ultimately be a FA next year, not "released".

[DapperCam]

I see two possibilities:

- The Bills told Milano he will be released if he doesn’t agree to a paycut. He knows he would end up with less money if released so he agreed.

- Milano feels like he has a better chance next offseason at one last good deal than two off seasons from now. He swapped a year shorter contract for $3m. He’s feeling healthy and betting on balling out, hoping for one last payday.

 

Probably the first one, but I hope for the second one.

[That's No Moon]

42 minutes ago, nosejob said:

I got a gut feeling Eddy Ofo is gonna be a machine.

I have a feeling Cole Bishop will be a LB.