2026 Bills Salary Cap

[Virgil]

Obviously, this can be manipulated in the off-season, but then you take on dead money.  Here’s were we currently stand with certain players
 

17 mil - Dawson Knox

11.5 mil - Taron Johnson

11 mil - Matt Milano (dead money, not on the roster)

9.75 mil - Curtis Samuel 

7.2 mil - Joey Bosa (dead money, not on the roster)

4.8 mil - Connor McGoverns (dead money, not on the roster)

4 mil - Taylor Rapp

3.7 mil - DaQuan Jones (dead money, not on the roster)

2.8 mil - AJ Epenesa (dead money, not on the roster)

2.5 mil - Larry Ogunjobi (dead money, not on the roster)

 

That’s 74 million of our cap for next year.   

Edited 1 hour ago by Virgil

[Big Turk]

Some of those players will be reworked/extended I'm sure to lower cap hits. I would guess Bosa gets resigned and it's something both sides want to do.

[Virgil]

Just now, Big Turk said:

Some of those players will be reworked/extended I'm sure to lower cap hits. I would guess Bosa gets resigned and it's something both sides want to do.

Even if they get new deals, the dead money is still there, or they are back on our roster for more money. Minus McGovern and Bosa, who would you want back?

[Norcalbillsfan]

The knox number hurts, definition of an albatross of a contract. And i never thought taron Johnson would be a bad contract but he has an argument to get benched this season. Well let's just be honest this whole list of names hurts.

[Walking Tall]

Who’s this Bosa guy? 

[MikePJ76]

6 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

Some of those players will be reworked/extended I'm sure to lower cap hits. I would guess Bosa gets resigned and it's something both sides want to do.

he damn well better not get resigned.

[Bangarang]

10 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

Some of those players will be reworked/extended I'm sure to lower cap hits. I would guess Bosa gets resigned and it's something both sides want to do.

That's kinda been the problem. Beane will sign guys, give extensions with void years and create a massive salary cap problem for players that don't really make much of an impact for us. 

[DabillsDaBillsDaBills]

Heck you can add Bernard and Benford to this list. 

 

It's insane that 2024 was a "cap reset" year where we purged a ton of older players and traded Diggs away resulting in about 90 mil deadcap and our cap situation is ALREADY back in the crapper.

 

Beane has done an awful job on recent contracts and managing the cap

[Virgil]

10 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

These numbers are way off.

 

You have to keep in mind those contract values don't completely come off the cap if the player is released. There's Dead Cap figures that come into play that effect the amount of cap space we'll get.

 

For example, Dawson Knox's cap hit next season is 17.068m. But if we release him, we only save approximately 9.6m on the cap while taking on approximately 7.4m in Dead Cap. The entire 17m doesn't come off our Cap.

 

Matt Milano saves absolutely nothing on the Cap as a Pre June 1st cut while taking on 11m in Dead Cap. Yet you're figuring in the Dead Cap hit as cap savings.

 

There is no cap savings on Milano, unless we designate him as a Post 6/1 cut. We could save 4.89 on the cap there, while taking on 6.18 in Dead Cap. But wouldn't have the money to spend until after 6/1.

I was just showing where things stand as of right now.  As I said, the numbers can be manipulated. 

[Big Turk]

12 minutes ago, Bangarang said:

That's kinda been the problem. Beane will sign guys, give extensions with void years and create a massive salary cap problem for players that don't really make much of an impact for us. 

 

I mean the Eagles do it far more than the Bills do, as do other teams...it's just a way to fit things under the cap

 

[tigerthelion]

Just now, Big Turk said:

 

I mean the Eagles do it far more than the Bills do, as do other teams...it's just a way to fit things under the cap

 

Only difference is that the Eagles sign blue chip talent, not Bernard types.

[GolfandBills]

Dark days a comin!

[BillsFanForever19]

5 minutes ago, Virgil said:

I was just showing where things stand as of right now.  As I said, the numbers can be manipulated. 

 

Lol yeah - I realized after the fact that you were talking more in terms of the amount of cap designated to bad contracts and people who won't be here anymore than freeing cap space. Thus the deleted post.

[ganesh]

37 minutes ago, Virgil said:

Obviously, this can be manipulated in the off-season, but then you take on dead money.  Here’s were we currently stand with certain players
 

17 mil - Dawson Knox

11.5 mil - Taron Johnson

11 mil - Matt Milano (dead money, not on the roster)

9.75 mil - Curtis Samuel 

7.2 mil - Joey Bosa (dead money, not on the roster)

4.8 mil - Connor McGoverns (dead money, not on the roster)

4 mil - Taylor Rapp

3.7 mil - DaQuan Jones (dead money, not on the roster)

2.8 mil - AJ Epenesa (dead money, not on the roster)

2.5 mil - Larry Ogunjobi (dead money, not on the roster)

 

That’s 74 million of our cap for next year.   

The troubling part is that you will need to find replacements for all of the above and none of that is going to be easy.... We might have a screwed up roster in 2026 when we open the new stadium.   

[LEBills]

34 minutes ago, Virgil said:

Obviously, this can be manipulated in the off-season, but then you take on dead money.  Here’s were we currently stand with certain players
 

17 mil - Dawson Knox

11.5 mil - Taron Johnson

11 mil - Matt Milano (dead money, not on the roster)

9.75 mil - Curtis Samuel 

7.2 mil - Joey Bosa (dead money, not on the roster)

4.8 mil - Connor McGoverns (dead money, not on the roster)

4 mil - Taylor Rapp

3.7 mil - DaQuan Jones (dead money, not on the roster)

2.8 mil - AJ Epenesa (dead money, not on the roster)

2.5 mil - Larry Ogunjobi (dead money, not on the roster)

 

That’s 74 million of our cap for next year.   

Yea Beane has not figured out how to build a roster with a star quarterback contract in the books. He still wants to make moves in free agency like he did when Allen was on his rookie deal and we could sign all the middling free agency’s he wanted without screwing the cap terribly.

 

He needs to sit early free agency out for a year. Add guys on one year, near minimum contracts later to let some of this dead cap fall off and focus on the draft. Or preferably another GM will do that this year.

[Dr.Sack]

Luckily Beane drafted a new defense in 2025. He can do it again in 2026. McDermott is great at coaching up the young pups.

[SCBills]

Do guys like Benford and Rousseau have trade value?  I’d imagine they do.  
 

Bernard, probably not, so we’re stuck with him next year. 
 

Just get rid of them for Day 3 picks and free up cap, I don’t care.  Enough of this with these above average players that never come through when it matters.  

[Virgil]

3 minutes ago, SCBills said:

Do guys like Benford and Rousseau have trade value?  I’d imagine they do.  
 

Bernard, probably not, so we’re stuck with him next year. 
 

Just get rid of them for Day 3 picks and free up cap, I don’t care.  Enough of this with these above average players that never come through when it matters.  

With them both being on new deals, I assume their dead cap hit would make them untradeable for a few years 

[BADOLBILZ]

 

For reference, the cap is expected to be between $295-$300M.

 

Not great, Beane.