Mango

I think people get confused with the dead cap number. It isn't in addition to, it is instead of. Sure the dead cap number is important, but the more important number is the delta. Generally when you hear that "teams have an out" it is that the delta moves from a cap negative to a cap positive. Because Diggs was restructured it lowered his base salary and increased his bonus money. His bonus money stays with the Bills (dead cap) and the receiving team is only on the hook for his salary. BUT!!!! His salary only counts towards the cap if he is on the roster. So if Houston doesn't want Diggs they can move on and clear his cap number fully at any time. The numbers work out as: - 2024 Diggs on the Bills: ~$28M - 2024 Diggs off the Bills: ~$31M - 2024 delta Bills Salary Cap: -$3M - 2025 delta Bills Salary Cap: +$25-30M-ish - 2024 Diggs on Houston Texans: ~$19M - 2025 Houston cuts Diggs : +$18.5M (no dead money) Diggs Spotrac Breakdown https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/houston-texans/stefon-diggs-16872/ Bills Spotrac Breakdown 2024 https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/cap/ Bills Spotrac Breakdown 2025 https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/cap/2025/

That is what I thought, but was waiting for spotrac to finalize it. It isn't all that massive. It is $3M more than his cap hit on the roster. Basically the Bills spent $3M in 2024 cap dollars today in order to free up $25M in 2025 cap dollars.

I do not believe this is true. Right now Spotrac is showing that we take Diggs $27M cap number off the books for 2025. That could change as this whole thing gets finalized, but it won't be $30M regardless.

He has the 13th cap hit this year now that he is traded. That isn't "immense". In theory Houston has zero reason to keep Diggs if he does not perform and could move on from him for very very minimal cap implications. Buffalo eats his bonus and Houston is only on the hook for his salary. We will have to wait for the correct cap adjustments, but under normal circumstances base salary is not guaranteed. We will have to wait for everything to be properly adjusted to confirm but more often than not this is standard practice.

Hilarious. Because it is true.

LOL Ended his tenure? Neither were fired. Both were promoted to HC and GM roles in Buffalo. What are you talking about? I have been critical of a bunch of stuff from McBeane, but this isn't built on the foundation of any truth. (Also, look at the Sabres. Never ever move on from Brandon Beane. Brandon Beane for president of everything for eternity please)

I think C1 is just trying to cover their own takes with this. They said that restructuring Diggs was a must do move this season. The Bills needed to get younger and were never going to take the nearly $30M per year cap hit for Diggs for the length of his contract. Most assumed he would not finish his career in Buffalo. I thought he could move on this year but by next season (2025) Diggs would not be a Bill. The cap ramifications for keeping Diggs long term were always much much greater than moving on from him. Right now Spotrac is showing that we cleared $27M 2025 dollars with this move and it only cost us an additional $3M this year to do so.

Diggs was a better teammate this year than I thought he would be. He had some outbursts in the past. But I also think part of that was him being a good soldier to get out. I think the hope is for the offense to be more in line with the the old NE and current KC offenses that feature the TE, pass catching RB's, and slot receivers. That said, I think they want Shakir on the outside, but I won't be shocked if he takes over for Samuel inside. I am pretty high on KS.

I reserve the right to get this one wrong, but I am going through the wayback machine, and I think the Bills free up $27M in 2025 cap space by making this a pre June-1 cut. Spotrac is still a little wonky for the Bills 2025 and Diggs Houston numbers, but that seems to be what the numbers are telling me? I will update @SDS when it is finalized. But ultimately Houston should only be on the hook for Diggs salary for the duration he is on their roster. If they cut him next offseason they should get quite a bit of cap relief. But they don't really need to, his cap number for them is hovering around the 17th among WRs. Whereas in Buffalo he would be pushing the highest WR cap number.

DB taken at 28 confirmed

Spotrac isn't up to date yet, but I think we get something like $5-10M back in cap space next year. I believe there is still some dead money, but ultimately we get some relief. I thought the Bills would have waited until after June 1. I remember that in that scenario the Bills would have gotten $19M in 2024 relief and $5M in 2025.

I am not your buddy pal. It isn't a high horse. I merely pointed out that nearly an entire year went by where dozens of posters explained that Diggs contract is actually very movable if the Bills wanted to. Some posters just plugged their ears.

Using round numbers it is $28M on the roster $31M off the roster. Effectively trading Diggs only costs us an additional $3M compared to keeping him.

I don't think Spotrac is fully up to date yet some of the numbers still look wonky. Stef is listed as a Texan but on the Bills roster still and his dead cap number is blank, but they have some pre/post June 1 numbers that don't make a ton of sense. But effectively trading Stef will add an additional $3M to our cap number this year. I forget next years number, but I think this free's up between $5-10M. Because of the restructure Houston is basically only on the hook for Diggs base salary in terms of cap dollars. In general base salaries aren't guaranteed unless you are on the roster, so Houston should be able to move on fairly cheaply if they don't want to pay Diggs $18M anymore.

Gregg over at Cover 1 must be in shambles. He parrotted all year that Diggs was a must or likely restructure this year.

Sorry, that was sarcasm. Diggs was definitely always tradable. And not just tradable, advantageous for the receiving team. Diggs contract going forward for Houston is middle of the pack for WR1 across the league and there is next to zero cap implication for them to move on from him at any point because of the restructure. And the delta for the Bills is $3M this year. That is it. Now they have some more cap freedom going forward. Not to be a blowhard or specifically kick you in the shins, but this was explained over and over and over again by a lot of posters.

Despite an entire year of saying "Diggs costs $3M more off the roster than he does on" it is hard to believe that there were still people going "tHirTy OnE MiLliOn DoLlArS". He was always tradable, the restructure put the cap risk on Buffalo. If Diggs is "meh" and not worth $18M AAV after this year (or any year) they can move on with basically zero cap implication.

Guys, can't be real. His contract is not tradable. EDIT: Sarcasm.

Just like how Abbot road has so much more going on than Allen. Or how the cobblestone district and Perry street have been major economic drivers of the quality of life in downtown Buffalo?

You sold 6/8 games and Terry didn’t come after you for a resellers license?

Just to add on, I hope they go 9-8 with 6 of their wins against Cleveland, Baltimore, and Cincinnati.

Pegulas leash with Buffalo fans is shortening. I’m on another hockey forum in addition to Sabrespace that’s generally pretty dry and straightforward hockey talk by comparison. It is becoming highly volatile and very anti-Pegula. He needs the Bills in the SB and he needs them there soon. Otherwise I think the city is ready to flip on him entirely.

On the other hand you have: - The Bills trying to get over the hump. Roster getting younger. Possible coach on the hot seat. - Rodgers come back season at 40 and possible run for VP. - McDaniels is a bit of a media darling across the league. Then add in a possible Tua extension. Plus Poyer moves in the division. - Then the Patriots first season without Belichick for literally an entire generation of humanity. A lot of pretty quality storylines in the AFCE even if this doesn't turn out to be a super competitive year.

A free market prohibits public subsidy because its influence no longer allows it to operate freely.

Unsure if this is a joke or not. The Buffalo Bills are not playing in a free market economy. They took nearly a billion dollars in public subsidy. Christ.