Bills star gives major social media hint for Buffalo’s next big move

At the turn of the century, the Buffalo Bills were forced to part ways with three future Hall of Famers in an effort to become salary cap compliant. Buffalo released defensive end Bruce Smith, running back Thurman Thomas and wide receiver Andre Reed on February 10, 2000. The day marked the end of the greatest — and most tragic — decade in franchise history. Smith, Thomas and Reed had played together in Buffalo since the 1987 season, and they were the last remnants of the franchise's Super Bowl teams from the 1990s.

Roughly 24 years later, the salary cap has forced Buffalo into another monumental offseason purge. Earlier this week, the Bills parted ways with many of the star players that were responsible for the team's recent successes. The salary cap casualties included cornerback Tre'Davious White, safety Jordan Poyer, center Mitch Morse, running back Nyheim Hines, return specialist Deonte Harty, and special teams ace Siran Neal. With those six releases, Buffalo saved roughly $36.16 million in salary cap space, but they only netted $25.1 million due to post-June designations and other transactions.

Buffalo's rendition of the "Game of Thrones" Red Wedding has seemingly caused fear and uncertainty for some of the most established Bills players.

On Saturday, left tackle Dion Dawkins posted a cryptic message on social media regarding his future in Buffalo.

Left tackle Dion Dawkins posts cryptic message about his future with Buffalo Bills

"Buffalo NY is forever my home," Dawkins posted on X, formerly Twitter. "Promise me That #BillsMafia."

Dawkins likely wants an extension before the 2024 season, which is the final season of the four-year, $58.3 million contract he signed in 2020. His estimated market value will earn him an average annual salary of $17.8 million, according to Spotrac. It's unlikely that Buffalo parts ways with Dawkins, especially after they just released their starting center. With Morse gone, Dawkins will be the anchor of an offensive line that allowed just 24 sacks last year — the fewest sacks of Allen's career.

Dawkins, who was selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, has spent all seven seasons of his professional career with Buffalo. Despite a rough start to his career, Dawkins has developed into one of the best left tackles in the league. The 30-year-old has made the Pro Bowl in three consecutive seasons. In 2023, Dawkins started all 17 games and allowed just one sack, per PFF. It was the best season of his career so far.

The three-time Pro Bowler has a $16.6 million cap hit in 2024, which is the third-highest cap figure on the team, behind just quarterback Josh Allen and wide receiver Stephon Diggs. Releasing Dawkins would result in a $11.7 million dead cap charge. His contract also features two void years in 2025 and 2026, which automatically void next February and create $5.4 million in dead money. Signing Dawkins to a multi-year extension could drastically bring down his cap figure and secure his future in Buffalo.