3 contracts that kept the Bills from making moves at the NFL Trade Deadline

While the Buffalo Bills already made a big splash a few weeks back acquiring five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper, some thought GM Brandon Beane might make another move or two ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline.

The reason for that, of course, is because Beane explicitly stated his willingness to do so on several occasions. But it's all moot now, as the Bills have decided to roll with the roster they have for the second half of this 2024 campaign and into the postseason.

Here's the thing, though. It's not as if Beane didn't want to make moves. At least, that's what one would think. The fact of the matter is that he simply couldn't, given Buffalo's salary cap constraints. Heading into the deadline, the Bills had a little less than $3 million to spend for the rest of this season, which makes trading for a player who could genuinely make a difference quite tricky.

It didn't necessarily have to be this way, though. Buffalo has several contracts on the books that hindered the franchise's ability to make a major move on Tuesday. And we'll start with one for a player who no longer wears a Bills uniform.

Stefon Diggs

The Bills have roughly $68.81 million in dead cap charges this season, the second-highest figure in the NFL. It shouldn't surprise anyone that the Denver Broncos lead the way there at $81.8 million, thanks largely to the Russell Wilson debacle.

Like the Broncos, the Bills can also attribute much of this issue to one player: Stefon Diggs, who counts for $31.1 million in dead money under the Buffalo salary cap this season.

Diggs, of course, was traded to the Houston Texans on April 3. And that date is important. By trading the disgruntled wideout before June 1, the Bills were forced to take the full charge in 2024. Had they waited until after June 1, they would have taken just an $8.85 million hit this season, with the remainder hitting the books in 2025.

It's not as if Buffalo has a ton of cap space next year, either. But having some of this extra cash during a season in which they're in prime position to make a run at the Super Bowl would have been helpful.

Von Miller

Then, of course, we've got Von Miller.

Many thought the Bills overpaid the Super Bowl 50 MVP when they signed him to a six-year, $120 million deal ahead of the 2022 season. To his credit, Miller has agreed to several restructures to free up cap space, including one this past March.

However, from an overall standpoint, this deal hasn't been worth it. In year one in Buffalo, Miller tore an ACL on Thanksgiving, thus ending his season. That same injury naturally hindered the 2023 campaign as well, limiting him to 12 games, none of which he started.

Then came the domestic assault allegations, which one has to believe was the reason for his recent four-game suspension. Can he still produce when he is actually on the field? Of course.

But even with the restructuring of his contract this year, Miller still has a $14.8 million cap hit this season, the second-highest on the team behind only Josh Allen. Does that figure sound like it's worth it for a guy who's only played more than 40% of Buffalo's defensive snaps in one game this year?

Dawson Knox

This one might not go over well with everyone, but it's still worth mentioning.

It may surprise some to know that the sixth-highest main-roster cap hit Buffalo has this season is that of Dawson Knox, who has a charge of $7.7 million. It may also surprise you that he's the 11th-highest-paid tight end in the entire NFL this season.

It was a bit surprising that the Bills gave him the contract they did back in 2022, as $52 million over four years seemed like a bit much for a guy who'd racked up a total of 1,263 yards in his first three seasons. Perhaps it was because of his red-zone abilities, as Knox did score 14 touchdowns in that time, none of which came in 2021 alone.

Nevertheless, given the emergence of Dalton Kincaid these past two years, Knox's contract looks a little bad at the moment, as his touches have dropped considerably. And it's only going to get worse.

In 2025, Knox's cap hit jumps considerably to $14 million. And unless the Bills exercise the opt-out after next season, which will cost them $7.4 million in dead cap, the number jumps again in 2026 to $17 million.