The NFL’s salary cap continues to climb to new heights.
It’s set at $279.2 million for the 2025 season, an increase of nearly $100 million from the $182.5 million limit in 2021.
That’s good news for the Buffalo Bills, who annually find themselves right up against the cap. That’s life when you’re a contender with a franchise quarterback, so it falls under a good problem to have.
To field a competitive team around league MVP Josh Allen, however, it’s a requirement for general manager Brandon Beane to avoid as many “bad” contracts as he can. Those are defined as deals in which players are paid more than their production warrants.
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For the most part, the Bills don’t have a lot of those deals, but every team in the league has at least a few. Here are the ones identified by The Buffalo News:
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5. Linebacker Matt Milano: Injuries have unfortunately been a huge problem over the past two seasons for Milano, who has a cap hit of $12.188 million in 2025, according to sports financial website spotrac.com, the fourth-highest amount on the team. Milano, who turns 31 in July, has played just nine games in the regular season over the past two years. He had his contract adjusted this offseason that resulted in a pay cut and shaving one year off the deal, making him an unrestricted free agent after the 2025 season. The Bills have said they’re open to bringing back Milano after 2025, but it’s clear by their actions this offseason that he’ll need to prove he can stay healthy for that to be a consideration.
4. Defensive tackle DaQuan Jones: Jones’ production should not be judged based solely on statistics, because as the one-technique defensive tackle in the Bills’ system, his job often is to occupy blockers, making life easier for his teammates. Even so, Jones didn’t have the same type of impact in 2024 that he did before getting hurt in Week 5 of the 2023 season. That year, Jones was off to an All-Pro start, but at 33 years old, it’s a stretch to expect him to return to that form. His cap hit of $9.408 million ranks sixth highest on the team.
3. Defensive tackle Ed Oliver: Can you see why the Bills spent so much time, effort and money on adding to the defensive line this offseason? Oliver was the ninth overall pick of the 2019 draft, and to be sure, he’s had plenty of good moments. It’s also true that he’s lacked consistency at times. At $11.24 million, his cap hit is the fifth highest on the team. He has not always produced at that level, and notably has disappeared in some of the team’s playoff losses.
2. Tight end Dawson Knox: He’s the team’s No. 2 tight end and has a cap hit of $14.568 million. That basically guarantees Knox will show up on this list. Yes, he’s an excellent leader and a trusted voice in the locker room, but with the second-highest cap hit on the team, the bar is high in terms of necessary production. Last season, Knox tied his career low for catches in the regular season (22) and had the fewest touchdowns (one) of his six years in the league.
Bills Ravens third (copy)
Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel, left, struggled to make much of an impact during his first season with the team. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
1. Wide receiver Curtis Samuel: Signed to a three-year contract before the start of the 2024 season, Samuel struggled mightily to make any kind of an impact throughout the regular season, finishing with 31 catches for 253 yards and one touchdown. He dealt with a few nagging injuries and deserves credit for fighting through them to the best of his ability. He also had a pair of touchdown catches in the Bills’ playoff run, leading to some optimism that with another year in the system and an offseason to get healthy, Samuel can be a more reliable offensive option in 2025. Until that happens, though, his $9.065 million cap hit looks to be out of whack when measuring his production.
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