Every time you complain about exorbitant contracts bagged by NFL players, remember that they play in the most competitive league in the world. Loyalty here is rare and is maintained as long as you perform on the field. The NFL deadline week is a fine reminder of the brutal nature of our beloved game. As we head onto the official league start from March 13th, teams above the salary cap are in a frenzy sorting out their finances. This means restructuring player wages and releasing players.
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One such release by the Buffalo Bills has hurt the NFL world. Earlier today, the Bills announced cutting off veteran safety Jordan Poyer. Poyer has been a long-time servant for the Bills and has given his all every time he stepped on the field. As per Fox News, a prime example of his commitment and tenacity was on display in October 2022 when he traveled 973 miles in 15 hours with a collapsed lung to make it for the game against the Chiefs.
Due to his lung issue, the safety wasn’t allowed air travel because of the change in air pressure when flying. Thus he travelled by road in a van from Buffalo to Kansans to play for his team. Despite the lung issue, Jordan recorded 4 tackles with 100% defensive snaps, leading the Bills to a 24-20 victory. This act of perseverance and grit has been etched in NFL fans’ hearts ever since.
Hence Poyer’s release has shocked many. After all, he signed a contract extension for 2 years last season. But the Pro Bowler is not the only casualty in the Bills’ brutal release list.
Buffalo Bills Free Up Over $37 Million in Cap Space
Heading into the deadline week, the Buffalo Bills ranked bottom amongst NFL teams in terms of cap space. Hence, getting under the salary cap was of paramount importance to the Bills. They started yesterday by announcing 5 tough releases – Safety Jordan Poyer, RB Nyheim Hines, WR Deonte Harty, Center Mitch Morse, and DB Siran Neal. Morse and Poyer were the biggest casualty of the day with both entering free agency helping the Bills save $8.5 million and $5.7 million respectively.
The Bills then focused on key contract restructures. As per NFL insider Jonathan Jones, the Bills restructured star pass rusher Von Miller’s contract. As per Jones’s contract has a base value of $8.855 million with incentives and variables taking the value to $20 million. This major tweak has helped Bills save $8.645 million. ESPN also reported that the Bills have adjusted CB Rasul Douglas’ deal to save $2.5 million against the cap.
With these moves, the Bills were able to muster up a whopping $37 million cap space in a day. Later on, the Bills also announced the release of Tre’Davious White through a post-June 1 designation release. Brutal but practical is the mantra!
