Tim Settle agrees to renegotiated deal with Buffalo Bills that lowers cap hit

Free agency is quickly approaching and prior to Wednesday, the Buffalo Bills’ front office has a lot of work to do. One of the most pressing issues is getting their salary cap in line with the upcoming season’s total and general manager Brandon Beane will likely be trying to achieve this by restructuring and renegotiating contracts before having to cut players.

One of those players that seemed like he could be potentially released was defensive tackle Tim Settle. The Bills signed Settle as a free agent last offseason but his first season in Buffalo was underwhelming with only 19 total tackles, four tackles for a loss, one sack, and two QB hits in 15 games while playing about 38% of the defensive snaps.

According to Field Yates, the Buffalo Bills and Tim Settle were able to agree to a renegotiated deal that reduced his cap hit by about $600,000. It is important to note that when teams restructure contracts, players don’t have to approve.

However, a renegotiated deal is something that the two sides do have to agree upon and with Tim Settle agreeing to this deal, it is an indication that he wants to remain with the Buffalo Bills. These type of renegotiated contracts typically have incentives in the contract that allows the players to recoup some, if not all, of that salary if they hit certain achievements over the course of the season.

Tim Settle is likely to be a member of the Buffalo Bills roster in 2023

When renegotiating contracts it also is typically a signal that the player is going to be a part of the team’s plans for the upcoming season. This is not necessarily a bad move on the part of the Buffalo Bills as Settle is still young, he will turn 26 before the season, and depth at defensive tackle is important.

It gives Tim Settle a chance to take that next step entering a contract year and potentially earn a bigger contract in free agency next offseason.