If the Buffalo Bills were worried they didn't have the cap space to extend all of the pieces of their young core, then recent roster moves around the league should send them into a panic.
Following extensions to cornerbacks like Jaycee Horn and Derek Stingley, the cornerback market has ballooned to where the top player at the position is making around $30 million per year on average.
For a team with a lockdown cornerback on a rookie deal, $30 million is now the barometer everyone will most likely have to match.
And that's terrible news in a way for Buffalo.
The Bills have celebrated the draft steal of sixth-round cornerback Christian Benford. He's been one of the best lockdown cornerbacks in the league over the last few years and is a perfect fit for the team's system under head coach Sean McDermott.
He's also eligible for an extension this offseason as he prepares for the final year of his rookie deal before becoming a free agent.
The recent extension of Stingley that paid him at three years and $90 million means that Benford's talents should keep him around or as close to that $30 million window that the Texan got.
And the Bills simply can't do that right now with just over $5 million in cap space available to them.
Related: Bills Accused Of Too Many Roster Holes Despite Free Agency Signings
Especially when you add the fact that the Bills also need to pay James Cook to a deal as well.
"We've definitely had dialogue with those guys," Beane said. "That's probably as far as I would take it."
Benford's a major winner of the current free agency cycle. Even if he isn't going to be re-signed by Buffalo, the Villanova star is in line to make some major cash very soon.
Related: Bills Free Agency Splurge Causing Grading Confusion
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This story was originally published March 23, 2025 at 1:00 PM.