Buffalo Bills restructure tight end Tyler Kroft’s contract
According to reports, the Buffalo Bills were able to restructure tight end Tyler Kroft’s contract on Thursday and free up additional cap space in the process.
The Buffalo Bills have been very active this week leading up to free agency next week and Brandon Beane is always trying to find ways to put the franchise in better position. Even though they are near the top of the league in terms of cap space, this hasn’t stopped him from trying to find more.
One of the ways is by restructuring some of the current contracts they have. Last month, the team was able to agree to a restructured deal with Star Lotulelei and according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Tyler Kroft agreed to a restructured deal on Thursday.
The #Bills restructured TE Tyler Kroft’s contract, per source. He’s now due $4 million in 2020, of which $3.4M is fully guaranteed, and the last year of his contract was deleted. After two years of unfortunate injuries, a chance to show what he can do and hit the market in 2021.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 12, 2020
Tyler Kroft was signed as a free agent last offseason and was expected to enter the year as the team’s primary tight end. He had shown flashes while a member of the Cincinnati Bengals and had a breakout season in 2017 with 42 receptions, 404 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
However, Kroft has struggled to stay healthy and that was the case in his first year with the Bills. In 2018, the tight end suffered a foot injury that forced him to miss 11 injuries and then during one of the first OTA practices he suffered a broken foot.
He ended up missing all offseason practices as well as training camp and struggled to find his spot in this offense with the emergence of Dawson Knox. He finished last year with 6 receptions, 71 yards and one touchdown.
Entering this offseason, Kroft was potentially a player the Bills would cut for salary cap reasons and the low production from a season ago. However, a restructured contract could end up being the best route forward for the Bills.
The team essentially now has a veteran tight end on a one-year deal who can be that high end back up to Dawson Knox and Tommy Sweeney. He provides some security at the position and can be a veteran leader in the position room.
Bills mock draft (with trades) before the start of free agency. dark. Next
As with all the other moves this offseason, it really is hard to find a negative with what the Buffalo Bills have done by restructuring Tyler Kroft’s contract and solidifying the tight end position heading into 2020.