Recently, general manager Brandon Beane talked about how he wants to avoid going all-in one year and then being forced to have to tear down the roster to get under the salary cap. The Bills weren't as active this offseason as last year and this desire to keep one eye on the future is a big reason for that.
For any team trying to plan out the future, they should have a good idea of what their salary cap will look like in future years and what options they have to create cap space if needed. One of the direct ways to create that salary cap is by releasing players.
While a lot can change between now and next offseason, these are six players who could be potentially released next offseason due to the cap space such a move would create.
Extremely early cut candidates for the Buffalo Bills in 2024
Mitch Morse
Mitch Morse has been the Buffalo Bills starting center since being signed as a free agent in 2019. At the time, the Bills needed an established center with the unexpected retirement of Eric Wood prior to the 2018 season.
Morse has certainly brought stability to the position and the offensive line as a whole during his time in Buffalo and just had his first Pro Bowl season this past year. However, he will be 32 years old entering the 2024 season and if the Bills were to release him it would create $9 million in cap space with only $3 million in dead cap.
At this point, the Bills don't have a clear replacement on the roster so the front office may not release him for salary cap reasons if they aren't confident in finding a quality starter to step in.