“Do They Not Watch Football?”: Buffalo Bills Salary Cap Moves Leave Former Chief Mitchell Schwartz Confused

The Buffalo Bills are one of the teams with the worst salary cap situations in the league. They were at one time $40 million over the cap, despite the league witnessing the biggest rise in the salary cap. However, the team has been busy this off-season and cleared the space by releasing a flurry of players in month of March. Since the 6th of March, Buffalo has released five players.

Amid all these releases, the Bills were still $5 million over the cap. However, this didn’t deter them from bringing back Mitch Trubisky on a two-year $5.25 million deal – a move that has been criticized by former Chiefs Offensive Tackle Mitchell Schwartz on X (formerly Twitter). Schwartz argued that despite the franchise’s increased cuts, they are still over the cap but are willing to pay a backup QB like Trubisky more than the league minimum – something that a front office genuinely focused on football would never do.

 

The franchise released Safety Siren Neal, Free Safety Jordan Poyer, Center Mitch Morse, Wide Receiver Deonte Harty, and RB Nyhiem Hines, clearing $25.955 million in cap space. CB Tre’Devius White will be released after June 1st, a move that will clear an additional $10.2 million. They have also restructured several contracts. Conor McGovern’s $4.6 million base salary was converted into a signing bonus, adding two more void years, which cleared $3.74 million.

CB Rasul Douglas’s $1.25 million 2024 salary and $2 million roster bonus were converted into a signing bonus, and three void years were added, saving the team $2.73 million in cap space. Von Miller’s $7 million 2024 salary was turned into a signing bonus, and his $8.645 million more into incentives, further clearing $8.645 in cap space as per Fox News. Amid all these cuts, its not surprising that Schwartz found this move strange.

However, Schwartz’s sentiments were not shared by everyone, as many fans called him out for expressing an unnecessary opinion about something that doesn’t concern him and is a common practice for every team. Fans asserted that the GM and the front office know what they are doing, suggesting that they might see something in Trubisky that others might not.

Bills Mafia Not Happy with Schwartz

Buffalo fans criticized Schwartz for expressing an unwarranted opinion about a situation he knows nothing about. They argued that the organization would have cut all these players regardless, and giving Trubisky a million more than the league minimum is an insignificant move. Fans believe that Bills GM Beane is doing a commendable job and should be applauded for finding solutions and bringing the cap situation under control. On the other hand, some voiced concerns, stating that a few more cuts could push the team over the cap before June. Fans said,

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As per Spotrac, the Buffalo Bills are still $7,665,163 over the cap, so we can expect more cuts and restructuring down the line. They still have $11,570,141 to sign the next draft class and despite being over the cap, the franchise will look to fully utilize their 11 draft picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Restructuring Josh Allen‘s contract could free up closer to $20 million, which fans might want the front office to spend on getting their star QB some great offensive weapons. The upcoming draft class is full of talented receivers with the potential to become stars. We might see them trade up in the draft to get their hands on a receiver because of the sudden decline in Stefon Diggs’s performances. They will also try to utilize free agency to fill the aging roster.

Last few seasons the Buffalo Bills have been coming closer to making the Super Bowl, only to lose during crucial stages. With Allen now getting into his prime, they would have to spend big if they hope to win that coveted trophy that has eluded them.