Editor’s note: This is the second in a three-part series detailing how Buffalo Bills beat writer Jay Skurski would approach the offseason if he were in the shoes of general manager Brandon Beane.
Brandon Beane has the same goal every year in free agency.
The Buffalo Bills’ general manager wants to fill every perceived hole in his starting lineup, which allows him to approach the NFL draft with a best-player-available plan.
The good news for Beane is he doesn’t have a lot of holes to fill. Of the 22 players who started on offense or defense for the Bills in the AFC championship game against the Chiefs, only three of them – wide receiver Mack Hollins, safety Damar Hamlin and cornerback Rasul Douglas – are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next week.
In total, the Bills have nine pending unrestricted free agents in addition to Hollins, Hamlin and Douglas who finished the season on the 53-man roster. They are wide receiver Amari Cooper, defensive tackles Austin Johnson, Quinton Jefferson and Jordan Phillips, defensive end Dawuane Smoot, fullback Reggie Gilliam, running back Ty Johnson, long snapper Reid Ferguson and tight end Quintin Morris, who the Bills failed to make a qualifying offer to as a restricted free agent, making him an unrestricted free agent.
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Figuring out what to do with each of them before going outside the organization in free agency is a good place to start part two of our GM for a Day series. To recap, after our various pay cut projections, cuts and contract restructures, we’re bringing $42 million into the start of free agency.
Bills Chiefs AFC Championship (copy)
Good things seem to happen every time Bills running back Ty Johnson touches the ball, which is why it should be a priority to re-sign him as a free agent. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Would like to keep
Gilliam: A special teams standout who provides some versatility on offense as a fullback and emergency tight end, Gilliam, 28, made $2.3 million last year. A slight raise should be enough to keep him around on a one-year deal. Gilliam played about 13% of the offensive snaps last season, but led the team with 330 snaps on special teams.
Ty Johnson: An ideal third running back, good things just seem to happen when Johnson touches the ball. He turns 28 early in the 2025 season and played 29% of the offensive snaps last year. Sports financial website Spotrac.com estimates he’s in line for a two-year deal worth up to $5.4 million, a nice jump from the $1.3 million he made in 2024. That’s a fair number for a solid contributor.
Ferguson: The Bills’ longest-tenured player, he’s never missed a snap. There is no need to fix something that isn’t broken. Let’s give him a one-year deal worth $1.3 million.
Morris: He’s stuck behind Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid on the positional depth chart, which explains why Morris played just 20% of the offensive snaps. He finished second to Gilliam in special teams snaps, though, and the team has spent years developing Morris. For that reason, a deal close to the veteran minimum makes sense.
Hollins: It’s rare to see a free agent come in and assume as much of a leadership role as Hollins did last year. The organization loved his impact on the team, and he’s a favorite of offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Hollins had a strong year on offense, capped with a great touchdown catch in the AFC championship game. He’s worthy of a one-year deal in the neighborhood of $4 million.
Buffalo Bills GM for a Day, Part I: Making room under the 2025 salary cap
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane has plenty of work to do – not only to make his team cap-compliant, but to provide enough space to conduct offseason business, writes Jay Skurski.
Tough calls
Douglas: Beane didn’t sound willing to break the bank for Douglas at the NFL scouting combine.
“We’ll see what happens with him,” he said last month of Douglas. “Obviously, Christian (Benford) would be coming back and we have Kaiir (Elam) here and some other guys. So we’ll see. We’ll look in free agency, we’ll look in the draft, but I would say there are other positions as well that we definitely need to look at and make decisions on, not only for this season, but years to come.”
Douglas is in line for a three-year deal worth up to nearly $36 million, according to Spotrac, which may very well be more than the Bills are willing to spend on a cornerback who turns 31 in August. If he reaches the open market and finds his services aren’t in that kind of demand, perhaps a return on a short-term deal makes sense for both sides, because Douglas fits into the locker room well.
Cooper: He gets full credit for playing through a wrist injury suffered in his second game with the team that Beane said after the season could have ended with him lost for the year. Partially because of the injury, however, Cooper never found his footing in the offense. He was fourth among receivers in snaps in the AFC championship game, playing fewer than 50% of the offensive plays. Still, Beane believed the Bills’ offense was better with Cooper’s presence on the field. He also fit in well and seemed to genuinely enjoy playing in Buffalo.
Smoot: Injuries caused him to miss six games, leading to Smoot playing about 30% of the defensive snaps. He’s a solid rotational piece who is strong against the run. If he finds a soft open market, a one-year deal to return would be fair. If the Bills try to find more upside with a younger player, that also would be fair.
Time to say goodbye
Phillips, Jefferson and Johnson: The Bills need to rebuild the interior of their defensive line. All three of these veterans can always be re-signed at a later date, if needed, because none of them figure to command much attention on the open market.
Hamlin: His story of not just resuming his career after going into cardiac arrest on the field, but becoming a starter, will forever be an inspiration. The good that Hamlin has done following that horrible situation should be celebrated. His Bills career will be remembered for a long time, but the team drafted Cole Bishop in the second round last season and seems poised to give him the first opportunity to take over as a starter. Hopefully, for Hamlin’s sake, there is a team out there willing to give him that same opportunity in free agency.
Coming Friday: Adding from the outside in free agency and the draft.
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