Tyler Matakevich joined the Buffalo Bills in 2020 as a free agent and was expected to be a key part of their special teams. He spent the prior four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers after they drafted him in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
At the time, Matakevich was one of the highest paid special teams players after the Bills agreed to a two-year deal worth $7.1 million and then after one season, the two sides agreed to a one-year extension.
In total, he has played in 49 games and has 48 total tackles while playing 1,013 special teams snaps with another 118 snaps on defense. He also recorded his first career interception with the Buffalo Bills in 2021.
Should the Buffalo Bills re-sign Tyler Matakevich this offseason?
There is no question that even though Matakevich was one of the top paid players on special teams, he was a big part of their success over the past three seasons. He has been one of the special teams captains for the past two years and while his impact might often go unnoticed, he has contributed to the team’s success during his time in Western New York.
The Buffalo Bills almost certainly would want to bring back Tyler Matakevich but cap space could be the biggest determining factor in whether or not a deal gets done. The Bills currently are over the 2023 salary cap by roughly $18 million and while they should have some moves to get under the cap, they probably won’t have much room to make moves in free agency.
The front office had the luxury of paying some of these bigger contracts a few years ago with Josh Allen still on his rookie contract. However, with his extension kicking in this year there isn’t the same room to sign players like Tyler Matakevich to the contracts they have in the past. This is one player that likely is playing for a new team in 2023.