As long as Josh Allen remains the quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, the team will be seen as a strong contender in the AFC. Despite receiving only one first place vote in the MVP polling, Allen had an impressive season in 2023, ranking among the top NFL QBs statistically. He led his team to an AFC East Championship and came close to forcing a playoff overtime against the eventual Super Bowl champions.
However, in order to reach the Super Bowl, Allen will need a strong supporting cast. While he has had some talented offensive weapons in the past, the postseason revealed a lack of assistance when it mattered most.
What steps must the Bills’ front office take to ensure their contention in the 2024 season?
The Buffalo Bills must address three key questions during the 2024 NFL off-season:
Both Allen and Diggs have expressed their desire to win together, but there are concerns about Diggs’ happiness that arise every off-season. This year is no exception, and it is possible that the Bills may choose to part ways with him.
While Buffalo performed well in the latter part of the season, Diggs’ production noticeably declined, and his drop in the Divisional Round game against the Chiefs played a role in the team’s loss.
It is difficult to imagine Allen without Diggs as his primary target, but the Bills may have reasons to move on from him this summer.
The majority of Buffalo’s productive defensive linemen are under contract for another year, including starters Ed Oliver and Greg Rousseau. However, several linemen have expiring contracts this off-season, including all of their backup defensive ends such as AJ Epenesa and Shaq Lawson. Additionally, their leading sack producer, Leonard Floyd, will also be a free agent.
The Bills will need to find ways to save money, as they currently have one of the worst salary cap situations in the NFL.
In relation to the defensive line and a challenging financial situation, there were only a few players in 2023 whose performance did not live up to their contract worth as much as Von Miller. Despite being on the field for 258 plays, he failed to record a single sack and only managed three total tackles throughout the year. Surprisingly, he was compensated with a staggering amount of over $17 million for his contributions.
Moving forward into 2024, Miller will continue to receive an exorbitant salary. However, unless there is a significant improvement in his performance at the age of 35, Buffalo will once again find themselves overpaying for his services. Unfortunately, the potential savings from releasing him after June 1st are minimal, as the team will still be burdened with a substantial dead cap figure if they choose to part ways with him.
According to the Source sportslens.com