With NFL free agency officially opening up the negotiating part of the process on Monday, the Buffalo Bills are getting set to hopefully be able to make some moves.
But first, they’ll need to find a way to get themselves under the salary cap by executing some restructures. Of course, a couple of the most notable restructures could potentially be with quarterback Josh Allen and edge rusher Von Miller.
But, there are other possibilities as well, and the Bills are already taking advantage of those as of Monday morning.
It was announced early this morning that Bills running back Nyheim Hines has agreed to restructure his contract with the Bills, converting part of his base salary into a signing bonus to give Buffalo some relief.
#Bills RB Nyhiem Hines is in the process of reworking his deal to stay in Buffalo, sources say. He’ll convert part of his base salary to signing bonus to provide some cap relief. Incentives added give him the chance to earn more than his previously scheduled $4.79 million in ’23.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 13, 2023
Nyheim Hines will be one of a few different restructures the Buffalo Bills will execute as free agency rolls on
Last year, the Bills traded for Hines while sending Zack Moss to the Indianapolis Colts. Hines came over and was primarily used on special teams, but his impact was greatly felt, especially when he took two kickoff returns back to the house in the same game.
That Week 18 matchup with the New England Patriots was crucial when it came to Buffalo knocking their divisional rival out of the playoffs, and Hines’ pair of kickoff returns was the spark to help it happen.
This coming season, Hines figures to be used much more on third down, assuming the Bills don’t go out and either sign, draft or trade for another running back (cough, Derrick Henry). Hines was a phenomenal third down back in Indianapolis during his time there, and could be the same for Buffalo if he is used.
From here, the Bills will still need to do some major work in not only gettin themselves under the salary cap, but opening actual cap space so that they can make some moves. Whether that’s re-signing guys like Tremaine Edmunds or Jordan Poyer, or making a big trade, or of course signing some free agents, they’ll need some money to do so.