Welcome to this week's Bills Mailbag. Let's get right to your questions ...
Kurt asks: Why would Matt Milano agree to a salary cut? What does he get out of it?
Gerry in Lewiston asks: Shortening Matt Milano’s contract is interesting. He’s been the heart of the defense for years. He’s had two bad-luck seasons and seemed to hit his stride again toward the end of 2024. We have really good replacements at linebacker. I thought he or James Cook or both could be trade bait to move up in the draft. Either way, Milano will be out to prove he’s back if this is his last year with the Bills. He’s earned free agency. Your thoughts?
Jay: Let’s start with Kurt’s question first. Milano gets nothing out of it, other than the opportunity to become a free agent a year earlier. Of course, at his age, that’s not necessarily a good thing. If Milano has a great year and stays healthy, perhaps he lands one final big contract, whether that’s with the Bills or another team. However, at 31 years old in July and coming off two seasons with major injuries, that is far from a guarantee. So why take the pay cut? This is speculation, but if it were presented to him as “take this pay cut or we’re going to release you,” the decision becomes easier to understand. The Bills could have made Milano a post-June 1 cut, similar to what they did last year with cornerback Tre’Davious White. Doing so would have given them necessary cap space to go into the season, when all 53 players on the active roster, practice squad members and those on injured reserve count against the cap.
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Bills linebacker Matt Milano, middle, agreed to a pay cut for the 2025 season, but can earn the money back if he hits certain contract incentives. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
As for trading Milano, it all depends on the return, of course, but considering his age and recent injury history, it’s hard to believe his value would have been all that high. Doing what general manager Brandon Beane did – getting him to take a pay cut, while giving him the opportunity to earn that money back through incentives – was the right move in my mind. As you said, Gerry, the Bills will be getting a motivated player, because Milano will want to earn another contract.
Regarding Cook, I would not trade him. He was excellent last season. Go back and listen to the way coach Sean McDermott talked about him after the AFC championship game. I don’t get the impression that Cook’s public request for a new contract is going to be a distraction. His teammates surely want him to get paid. The Bills, though, have the upper hand in negotiations right now. Cook is still under contract for 2025, and the team can always use the franchise tag after the upcoming season, should they choose to. The franchise is in a position to chase a Super Bowl, and trading away a Pro Bowl running back does not get them closer to that goal. If I were Beane, I’d hang up on pretty much any trade proposal involving Cook.
Josh asks: Is former NFL referee John Parry still employed by the Bills? Besides assisting with whether they should challenge a play, what were his other responsibilities? Did you think he was a good hire?
Jay: Parry’s entire career with the Bills has been clouded in some degree of mystery. He’s not listed anywhere on the team’s official website. For that matter, under the “front office” section of the team’s website, only five people are listed – owners Terry and Kim Pegula, Beane, McDermott and chief operating officer Pete Guelli. Good luck finding any other information about who works for the organization on the website. There has been no indication, however, that Parry left the team. When he was hired last year as an officiating liaison, the idea was that Parry could consult with the coaching staff on rules interpretations in addition to providing guidance on whether a play should be challenged. To that end, there was not a great improvement in 2024. McDermott threw the challenge flag five times, and only once was the play overturned in favor of the Bills. McDermott’s career record on challenges is 11-27. Perhaps Parry is providing other value to the team behind the scenes, but at least on challenges, his arrival didn’t make much of a difference last year.
Jeff Miller asks: Having signed Laviska Shenault Jr., he sounds promising, yet to me he’s just another player who can help us on special teams. It makes me think two things: First, I hear that every year about many players, so it bounces right off my encouragement meter. Am I just a super skeptic? Second, is he good enough that he’s a given to make the roster? Also, now that this is apparently Matt Milano’s last season with us, will another linebacker be on the shopping list to groom for next year, or can that wait until after this season?
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Bills linebacker Joe Andreessen hits former Seahawks wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. during a kick return on Oct. 27. Shenault has since joined Buffalo. Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
Jay: Regarding Shenault, he is no lock to make the roster. His best hope is likely as a kick returner, but the Bills have cornerback Brandon Codrington on the roster, as well, and Codrington is the favorite to be the lead punt returner. Would the team really tie up two roster spots for primary returners? I’m skeptical. In fact, I would say Shenault faces a bit of an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster. If the kickoff rule is tweaked to place touchbacks at the 35-yard line or by moving the kickoff point back 5 yards to the 30-yard line – changes that would likely increase the number of returns – perhaps Shenault would have more importance to the roster. That's not yet clear, though. It’s fair to be skeptical when a new player's primary potential to contribute on special teams, but remember: That’s a part of the game, too. The Bills stunk on special teams last year, so I’ve got no problem with the organization adding low-cost free agents who could potentially help that unit.
Bills linebacker Matt Milano reportedly agrees to sizable pay cut, will become free agent after 2025 season
The Buffalo Bills and linebacker Matt Milano have reportedly agreed to a restructured contract that will provide the team some space under the NFL salary cap for the 2025 season.
As for Milano, remember that the team still has Dorian Williams, who is going into this third year, under contract for the next two seasons. He showed last year he can step into the starting lineup (Williams had a team-high 117 tackles). That doesn’t mean the Bills will avoid adding a linebacker this year, but I wouldn’t call it a major priority at this point.
Brenda Alesii asks: Do you think the speculation about the Bills signing Stefon Diggs this offseason is just fodder for fans? I wouldn’t doubt that Diggs would post social media pictures of himself in Bills gear as a way to draw attention to his availability. Here’s hoping Diggs stays away from One Bills Drive because his production tailed off toward the end of his time in Buffalo, and his antics became tiresome. Do you seen any scenario where Diggs would come back?
Jay: Never say never, I suppose, but Diggs coming back to the Bills feels supremely unlikely. Ask yourself this: Did the team miss him last season? Maybe a time or two, but the offense finished No. 2 in points per game. It’s not like it went into the tank without Diggs. Plus, he’s on the wrong side of 30, coming off a torn ACL. We just went down that road with Von Miller, and it can be quite bumpy. On top of that, there was an obvious disconnect between Diggs and something or someone in the Bills’ organization, even if both sides are reluctant to spill the beans on exactly what went wrong. Time heals all wounds, but the Bills enjoyed exceptional team chemistry last season, and it doesn’t seem like potentially disrupting that for an aging wide receiver with a serious knee injury is worth it.
Analysis: Brandon Beane taking a big risk by signing two suspended players
"Beane had a desire coming into the offseason to retool his defensive line. The suspensions of Hoecht and Ogunjobi basically leave the team exactly where it was a week ago. They’ve swapped out Von Miller for Joey Bosa. That should be an upgrade, if Bosa is healthy, but that’s a big if," Jay Skurski writes.
Michael Gertz asks: With our new free agents who are being suspended, it got me wondering: Why don’t players just get all of their supplements from the teams that they play for? You would think that they would be the most trusted source. I don’t want to say these guys are full of anything, but do any NFL players ever sue these trainers that supposedly betray them?
Jay: It’s a great question, Michael, because it would seemingly take the guesswork out of what a player is actually ingesting. For both Michael Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi, their reasoning for failing tests are not sufficient. One of the first things professional athletes should learn is that they are responsible for anything that goes into their bodies. The NFLPA has resources available to players to help them with independent verification on supplements that comply with NFL rules. Hoecht and Ogunjobi failed to do that. That’s completely on them. Still, we could have a separate conversation about the league and/or teams making it easier for players to get supplements. Although many players go home for the offseason, it wouldn’t be that hard for NFL-approved supplements to be shipped to them.
There actually is an example of a player suing a trainer, and it involved former Bills defensive lineman Corey Liuget. Back in 2017, Liuget accused his former trainer, Ian Danney, of injecting him with a banned performance-enhancing drug without his consent, causing Liuget to flunk a drug test and get hit with a four-game suspension in 2018. The case was settled before reaching a trial.
Dave S. asks: So with the Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby trade ideas on ice, and no way do I see one of the few contenders in the AFC, the Bengals, trading us Trey Hendrickson, is there any way we make a run for Nick Bosa? The 49ers are seemingly going full rebuild and Joey Bosa has signed here. Nick Bosa’s fashion choices seemed to have rubbed some 49ers fans the wrong way, and the teams are in opposing conferences.
Jay: If the 49ers were to trade Bosa before June 1, his cap hit would be a whopping $62.3 million – an increase of about $42 million over what it’s scheduled to be ($20.5 million). If he were traded after June 1, he would save the 49ers $7.473 million in 2025 cap space but count $29.138 million against the 2026 cap in dead money. So any trade likely wouldn’t be able to be executed until after June 1. Bosa does have a base salary in 2025 of just $1.17 million, so the Bills would be able to make it work financially in the short term. Unless the 49ers are truly committed to a rip-it-down-to-the-studs rebuild, however, it seems unlikely that they would move on from Bosa this summer.
John Chudy asks: The modern-day NFL discourages any kind of head contact, with one exception: When a running back or receiver is going down the field, they can stiff-arm the defender anywhere on their body, including the head. Why is this practice still allowed, and has it ever been addressed?
Jay: You’re right, John, that a stiff-arm can include contact to the head, as long as the ball carrier does not grasp the face mask. The stiff-arm is not permitted to be a punch, although I can’t remember ever seeing that. As for why the practice is allowed, I would answer with a question: Why shouldn’t it be? If you’re running after me and I place my hand on your head to push you away in an effort to avoid being tackled, that should continue to be a legal play. The spirit of your question seems to be getting at the potential for head injuries, but there is very minimal risk of an open hand to a helmet causing any head injury, as long as there is no grasping of the face mask or pulling of the head during the process.
Thank you for all the questions this week! As a reminder, you can submit them via email to jskurski@buffnews.com or on X to @JaySkurski.
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