While the Buffalo Bills’ front office is in Indianapolis to learn more about the 2026 NFL Draft class, free agency is fast approaching. On Friday, the NFL announced the 2026 salary cap, setting a new league record once again at $301.2 million.
That’s a $22 million jump from 2025, putting an extra $22 million in general manager Brandon Beane’s pocket to spend this offseason. Of course, that extra $22 million will come in handy, especially since the team is still over the cap as of Friday morning, as the team is effectively $10.2 million in the red, according to Over the Cap.
Still, Beane has already restructured one contract to open up some space, that being right tackle Spencer Brown, which opened up $10+ million in cap space. Once Beane has balanced his spreadsheets and completed the rest of the restructures on his to-do list, he’ll be able to take advantage of the heightened cap limit to reload for the 2026 campaign.
Bills’ financial flexibility hinges on key contract decisions
As BuffaLowDown’s own Brandon Ray pointed out earlier this offseason, Beane can open up roughly $50 million to spend in free agency by restructuring a handful of contracts, including those of the aforementioned Brown, quarterback Josh Allen, left tackle Dion Dawkins, defensive tackle Ed Oliver and tight end Dawson Knox.
Initially, that series of restructures would have brought Buffalo up to $38.8 million. With the added $22 million with the raised salary cap, Buffalo could have as much as $60 million to spend on the free agent market. As an aside, Knox’s future with the team is cloudy, as cutting him instead would open up an extra $3 million.
Regardless, that string of moves opens the door for Beane to make a blockbuster swing on a star wide receiver or defender to give Joe Brady’s first roster a huge boost. It also makes retaining a scheduled free agent like center Connor McGovern much more palatable.
Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Buffalo will be able to get into bidding wars at the top of every position of need on the open market. Six teams, including the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, already have roughly $60 million in cap space, and another five teams effectively move into that range with the inflated salary cap.
The Bills are still punching up with their cap situation, even after Beane balances the books. Still, the Bills won’t have to sit on the sidelines either. Nonetheless, Beane has some flexibility at his disposal to address the Bills’ needs and make another run deep into the postseason.