Do the Bills have a Tyler Bass problem?

The Buffalo Bills selected Tyler Bass in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He had a promising start to his career, kicking 28/32 on Field Goal attempts and a perfect 51-51 on extra points. The Bills would eventually reward Bass with a four-year/$20.4M contract extension in April of 2023, just months after kicking 27/31 field goals. Unfortunately for the Bills, Bass hasn’t lived up to the hope they had for him coming out of Georgia Southern. That begs the question, do the Bills have a Tyler Bass problem? The answer may be simple, but let’s dive into it more here. 

Looking at his contract

Bass has a cap hit of $4.4M in 2024, and will boost to $5.3M in the last year of his contract in 2027, according to Spotrac. Releasing Bass would cost the Bills $4.3M in dead cap this year and another $3M in 2025, and would only save $100k against the cap. 

The Bills could designate Bass as a post-June 1st cut in 2025, saving $3.6M while creating $1M in dead cap. As Bass is in the first year of his extension, releasing him is going to be quite difficult. Financially, the Bills are “stuck” with Bass. If he continues to get worse as the season progresses, the Bills may eat the dead cap and find a new kicker through free agency. 

Have the Bills lost faith in Bass?

Head coach Sean McDermott has told the media plenty of times now that he has confidence in Bass, despite struggles dating back to early last season. Their actions may say otherwise, as the team worked out a pair of kickers in September when Anders Carlson and Cade York were in town for workouts. The Bills may have been doing their due diligence, but it’s interesting to look back on considering Bass has a pair of misses early this season. He’s kicked 6/8 this season, including misses against the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins. 

The pickings are slim in terms of free agents. Riley Patterson, Brandon McManus, and Randy Bullock headline the free agents. After that, you’re not getting much production. It would take a lot for the Bills to move on from their former draft pick and take on so much dead money. But if he continues to miss in clutch situations, the Bills may have no choice. 

Where do the Bills go from here?

It’s safe to say the Bills' patience is running out on Bass. With that being said, Spotrac has Buffalo with just $3.2M in cap space. Their hands may be tied here, and they may just let the season play itself out before making a final decision on their kicker. If they decide to release him in the off-season and sign one through free agency, there are a couple worth taking a look at, Nick Folk and Matt Prater. Looking at the present, Buffalo continuing to publicly show faith in Bass may be how they feel inside of the building. Not bringing in any competition for Bass in the off-season, or through the first few weeks of the regular season, shows the Bills still think highly of Bass.