With the recent news about Matt Milano testing free agency, it is likely the Buffalo Bills will move forward without Milano on the team in 2021. The recent report states that it is likely Milano will test free agency due to the Bills’ salary cap constraints.
Although the Bills got some good news about the salary cap minimum being raised to $180 million for next season, Brandon Beane will have a lot of extra shuffling to do in order to find enough money to retain Milano this offseason. Beane went on record to say that he would like to keep Milano, but he has “earned the right” to test free agency.
Yes, there is still a chance that the Bills do some salary cap shuffling to open up cap space and send Milano an offer in free agency, but it is unlikely the Bills will be able to match anything close to what some other teams can offer him. However, would it be worth it for the Bills to release multiple players just for a chance to match an offer sheet to sign Milano without the guarantee he signs it?
Considering how unlikely it is that the Buffalo Bills retain Milano for the 2021 season and beyond, it is time to begin looking at some alternatives to replace Milano in the draft. The Bills do have linebackers currently on the roster like A.J. Klein and Tyrel Dodson. However, the Bills linebacking crew was missing some obvious athleticism and skill when it was Klein or Dodson playing alongside Tremaine Edmunds. The list of draft alternatives to replace Milano will be in order of their projected draft round.