The NFL’s announcement last week that the 2024 salary cap will be $255.4 million was welcome news to the general manager of the team that’s currently the most over the cap.
Bills General Manager Brandon Beane, whose team is currently about $40 million over the 2024 cap with a couple weeks to get under, said on PFT Live that it’s a huge relief that the cap topped $255 million, when Beane was preparing to make roster moves to get down under $245 million.
“Our first challenge is getting our cap squared away and getting under,” Beane said. “I was excited to see it at 255 versus 245. We thought it would be mid-240s, we were actually conservative and counting a little lower. When I heard it was going to be closer to 250 to 240 I thought this is good, maybe it’ll be 248. Pops out at 255 and it saves you. Maybe it’s one less guy you’ve got to release or restructure.”
Beane said the Bills want to keep as many good players as they can while they have an elite quarterback, Josh Allen, in his prime. But he said he also doesn’t want to put the Bills in a position where they spend so much trying to win now that they’re in an impossible salary cap position in future years.
“You don’t want to just credit card everyone and just pile it up,” Beane said. “At some point it comes due, so you’re trying to balance it. I don’t want to walk in at 2025 or 2026 and say, ‘We’ve got $112 million to unload, how are we even going to get into the season?’”
The Bills still have some difficult moves to make to get under this season’s cap, but the higher cap makes that work a lot easier.