Brandon Beane general manager Buffalo Bills
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ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 08: General Manager Brandon Beane of the Buffalo Bills looks on prior to a game against the Arizona Cardinals at Highmark Stadium on September 08, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
The Buffalo Bills are set to lose multiple starters from 2026 as they look to get under the salary cap by the start of the new league year on March 11.
Edge rusher Joey Bosa, linebacker Matt Milano, and cornerback Tre’Davious White all played key roles on defense last season, but it will perhaps be the offensive line where the Bills will most miss their upcoming free agents, if they do not manage to re-sign them.
Connor McGovern has proved himself to be a very capable center, whilst former Los Angeles Rams guard David Edwards has turned into one of the more formidable players at his position.
Bills’ Offensive Line Duo Set to Hit the Open Market
According to Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport, Edwards is set to be overpaid this offseason.
“Not that long ago, the idea of David Edwards becoming one of the highest paid guards in the NFL would have seemed laughable. After four years and 45 starts for the Los Angeles Rams, Edwards joined the Bills back in 2023 on a modest contract.” Davenport wrote.
Whilst Davenport concedes that Edwards is not the number one most desirable offensive lineman in this free agency class, he is still likely to get a hefty deal on the open market.
“Edwards isn’t the best interior lineman set to hit free agency—that is likely Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum. But the Ravens have reportedly already made Linderbaum an offer that would make him the NFL’s highest-paid center. The cap-strapped Bills, who are upside down over $3 million against the salary cap, aren’t really in position to make Edwards a similar offer—not when Spotrac estimates that Edwards new deal will be in the neighborhood of three years and $60 million.”
Although the Bills’ right guard has played very well over the past two seasons, despite a lack of Pro Bowl or All-Pro recognition, him hitting the open market as a top-tier offensive lineman will lead to him getting “overpaid”, according to Davenport.
“That would put Edwards in the top-seven at his position in average annual salary—a lot to pay a soon-to-be 29-year-old guard who has never been to a Pro Bowl.” Davenport summed up. “But just like at tackle—any decent guard who hits the open market is apt to get (over)paid.”
Is $20 Million per Year an Overpay for Edwards?
Davenport’s broad statement is more or less correct – free agents do tend to make more money on the open market, relative to their capabilities, than their counterparts who receive in-house contract extensions.
Much of that comes down to the fact that having 5, 10 or more teams bid for your services will almost certainly raise your price, relative to dealing with just one organization.
And another factor also stems from the fact that many teams who pay big-ticket free agents are struggling teams with a lot of cap space, who are willing to knowingly overpay in order to get a player who can be a certified difference maker at a key position – interior offensive line.
Perhaps $20 million a year is a little too much for Edwards, just as it was for fellow guards Aaron Banks and Robert Hunt, who received similar amounts on an average-per-year basis after hitting the open market. But if Edwards continues performing at his high level, his new employers will not care.