PFF: Bills’ 3-year salary cap outlook in 2023 drops from past years
There is some growing concern over the spending and salary cap of the Buffalo Bills.
Each offseason, Pro Football Focus annually gives a three-year salary cap analysis and projection for every team in the NFL. In comparison to the past few years, Buffalo’s standing has dropped.
The work done by general manager Brandon Beane has seen the Bills slot into a middle position in this exact analysis in recent years. Buffalo ranked 14th and 15th over the past two offseasons, respectively.
In 2023, the football analytics outlet puts Beane’s team at No. 23.
PFF factor’s the Bills’ total cash spending into that. But that’s not on Beane and really, isn’t all that bad of a thing.
Team owner Terry Pegula has given Beane the green light on that spending, likely because of his desire to bring Buffalo a championship. Not exactly the worst reality for fans to hear.
In addition, the Bills’ spending is so high because Beane knows the salary cap well. He has often extended players by changing their salary into bonuses, effectively paying players immediately, aka spending cash as PFF notes, in order to lower their salary cap hits. The latest example of this was with defensive tackle Ed Oliver.
The GM and team will want to be careful with long-term spending and the usage of void years on contracts… but Beane has not yet given the Bills reason to worry he’s guiding the club in the wrong direction.
PFF’s full three-year salary cap analysis on the Bills can be found below:
BUFFALO BILLS — RANK: 23
The Bills are currently second in cash spending for the 2023 season — one of just two clubs to eclipse the $300 million mark — after an extension for interior defender Ed Oliver followed the addition of veteran edge defender Leonard Floyd.
Buffalo was able to continue spending thanks to prudent cap management over the past several years, with early extensions across the roster providing enough room to add talent. Nevertheless, resources are getting a bit thin, and rookie-contract players need to step up to push this team to the pinnacle once and for all.
