Buffalo Bills: Matt Milano to test free agency according to report

One of the biggest free agents the Buffalo Bills have is reportedly set to test free agency next month. According to John Wawrow of the Associated Press, the Bills starting outside linebacker plans to test free agency instead of signing a contract extension in the next few weeks.

This is not necessarily a surprise with Milano being this close to free agency and certainly makes sense for him to see what his market is. This also doesn’t mean that it is a guarantee that Milano will be playing for another team next season.

The Buffalo Bills are limited with their cap space this offseason but if the market isn’t what Matt Milano hopes for, he could return on a one-year deal and try again next season. Another option is the Buffalo Bills could apply the franchise tag to Milano to keep for another season.

However, this is not the best option because it does mean Milano would receive a one-year deal worth $15.46 according to Over the Cap. As Wawrow notes in his article, the reason Milano is expected to test free agency is that he believes the Bills won’t be able to match a deal he receives so this would indicate that a salary over $15 million doesn’t work.

"Milano has been a starter since his rookie season in 2017, and his decision is based on the Bills not being in position to match the offers he is expecting to receive once the NFL’s signing period opens on March 17. His decision was confirmed by the person who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the discussions between the player and team have been private."

Matt Milano has been a key part of the defense over the past two seasons. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft and slowly saw his role expand over his rookie season.

He became a full-time starter in 2018 but played only 13 games after suffering a broken leg towards the end of the year. He would play 15 games last year and broke 100 total tackles for the first time in his career.

This past season was riddled with injuries as he suffered a hamstring injury in Week 1 and then a pec injury in Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders. The injury lingered for most of the regular season as Milano played on a snap count once he returned.

He returned to being a full time starter for the playoffs and during that time had 19 total tackles and a sack. If Milano was to leave, this creates a pretty big hole in Sean McDermott’s defense that the front office will need to address.