The Buffalo Bills, as described by general manager Brandon Beane, are a team “in transition,” a franchise currently in the midst of taking its proverbial financial medicine in hopes of better positioning itself for long-term success.
Buffalo is fresh of five consecutive postseason berths and four straight AFC East titles off the backs of what was largely an identical core; though ancillary pieces were swapped over time, the Bills’ key players remained largely the same over the past half-decade. The team was never able to ‘get over the hump’ with this group, despite coming close several times; with a number of stalwart starters aging and accounting for significant portions of the salary cap, Buffalo was forced to part ways with several beloved players in the 2024 offseason, ‘resetting’ its cap while promoting younger players into more prominent roles in hopes of laying the foundation for another period of sustained success.
The team allowed safety Micah Hyde and wide receiver Gabriel Davis to depart as free agents. They released safety Jordan Poyer, cornerback Tre’Davious White, and center Mitch Morse. They even traded Stefon Diggs, the franchise’s fourth-all-time leading wideout, as part of their “transition” from one core to the next.
Hundreds of starts, big plays, and memories—all removed within one spring.
The Bills still figure to remain competitive in the 2024 NFL season given the presence of several talented players—namely former All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano, stout defensive tackle Ed Oliver, and otherworldly quarterback Josh Allen—but it’s very much a transitional year for the team, an opportunity for it to see which players factor into its new core and which deficiencies will have to be addressed moving forward. Buffalo, thus, made several stop-gap signings in the 2024 offseason, acquiring players who could factor into the team’s long-term plans but don’t have significant long-term commitments tied to them.
This idea is reflected in where the team ranks in 2024 offseason spending; according to Spotrac, the team ranks 17th in the league—firmly in the middle of the pack—in spring spending, committing roughly $272.3 million to future spending. They slot in between the Baltimore Ravens ($278.8 million) and Seattle Seahawks ($271.3 million).
This number takes into account free agent spending in addition to money spent on extensions and rookies both drafted and undrafted. The Bills rank 19th in the NFL in free agent spending ($85.6 million) and 12th in extension spending; the team’s most significant free agent acquisition was wide receiver Curtis Samuel (who signed a three-year, $24 million deal) while it reworked and extended the deals of several players already on the roster.
The Detroit Lions rank first in 2024 offseason spending at $626.5 million, a hefty portion of this taken up by extensions for wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, offensive tackle Penei Sewell, and quarterback Jared Goff. The Dallas Cowboys are at the bottom of the list by a wide margin, spending just $93.4 million in the spring.
Buffalo’s spending, though not necessarily “modest” in the 2024 offseason, could increase next year; Spotrac’s Mike Ginnitti recently stated that the believes the Bills are positioned to “be one of the most active teams in 2025 in terms of free agency.”
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