Five Buffalo Bills Who Won't Be Back in 2024
The Buffalo Bills were left for dead early in the year, turned it around, and made it all the way to the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs. But they couldn't defeat Patrick Mahomes, even on their home turf. Josh Allen's squad fell to their postseason rivals on Sunday night and now enter an offseason that could be quite significant in terms of roster changes.
The Bills enter the offseason projected to be $43 million over the cap. There's plenty of restructuring they can do to make room but they'll have to make some tough choices in order to get far enough under the cap to do what they want in free agency and the draft.
With all that in mind, here are five players who will not be back with the Bills in 2024.
Rasul Douglas
A trade deadline acquisition, Douglas has been a quality corner for the Bills since joining the team in November. But Buffalo has too much to gain by getting rid of him. If they cut Douglas, they instantly clear up $9 million in cap space. No dead cap penalty, no nothing. The Bills were glad to have Douglas for secondary depth down the stretch but the money is worth more than the player, so he's out.
Micah Hyde
Hyde has been nothing short of outstanding since coming to the Bills a few years back from Green Bay. Sean McDermott's defense relies upon his excellent play from the safety position and his absences are always sorely felt. He turned in another great 2023 campaign. Why is he out? Simple-- he's an unrestricted free agent, and everyone knows how good he is. It's almost a certainty that Hyde will get a huge offer from someone else and the Bills, already significantly over the cap heading into his free agency, are going to be very hard-pressed to match it. Hyde is beloved both within and outside the building but he's played his final game as a Bill.
Nyheim Hines
Hines was supposed to be a big part of the Bills' offense when the Bills landed him in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts on November 1, 2022. He has only touched the ball 11 times in two seasons. Hines was a non-factor in 2022, finishing with six carries for -3 yards, and five receptions for 53 yards and one touchdown. Then, he missed the entire 2023 campaign thanks to suffering a knee injury while riding a Jet Ski in the offseason. Meanwhile, James Cook has stepped up as Buffalo's do-everything back.
Hines has one season left on the three-year, $18.6 million deal he signed with the Colts in September of 2021. The Bills owe him $5.48 million for 2024, but can save $4.98 million in cap space if they cut him. This isn't even a discussion, Hines will be gone.
Kyle Allen
Kyle Allen is Josh Allen's backup, a job that doesn't carry much risk, since the Bills' big quarterback has missed one game in the last three seasons. Allen only made $1.2 million in 2023, so he's really cheap, but the Bills could likely do better backing up their prized franchise quarterback.
This feels like a spot where the Bills could throw a mid-round draft pick at a college quarterback with a lot of experience. Maybe they re-sign Allen cheaply, but let him go in the preseason. Bottom line: it's likely they find another backup for Josh Allen.
Leonard Floyd
The Bills gave Floyd a one-year, $7 million deal in the offseason, hoping he'd add juice to the team's pass rush. He did just that, racking up 10.5 sacks to go with 32 tackles in 17 games. While the rest of his game is suspect, Floyd can get after the quarterback. Pro Football Focus gives him a grade of 56.3 but those sacks speak for themselves.
The Bills would likely love to have their leader in sacks back in 2024, but Floyd's success getting to the quarterback has almost certainly priced him out of the Bills' plans. He's almost certain to get a multiyear deal for more than he made in 2023 and Buffalo's cap situation won't allow that.