Free agency in the NFL is set to start next week and it’s the first big step towards the 2025 season. This frenzy should be a little bit more exciting for the Buffalo Bills as they are not a terrible financial spot like they were last offseason. However, they are still over $8 million over the cap, per overthecap.com.
Bills’ general manager Brandon Beane has done a great job for the most at building a winning culture with players that buy into the system. However, just like anyone else in this business, he has made his fair share of mistakes. He hasn’t always drafted the best and some of free agent signings have not worked out.
What were the 3 worst free agent signing decisions in Brandon Beane era for Bills?
3.) Signing CB Josh Norman - 2020
As part of the Carolina-Buffalo connection, cornerback Josh Norman found his way to Buffalo in 2020, and then for a second time in 2023 when the Bills had massive corner issues. Norman was a fantastic shutdown corner in Carolina and his production there earned him, at the time, the biggest contract for a corner in NFL history at 5 years for $75 million with Washington.
His All-Pro year in 2015 with the Panthers didn’t continue on during his time in Washington. He wasn’t exactly a bad corner, but he wasn’t as impactful for someone making that kind of money. Norman spent four seasons with Washington before signing with the Bills.
He received a one-year deal worth $6 million and he only played in nine games, starting in three, due to injuries and being placed on the reserved/COVID-19 list as well during the season. While he had his one big moment in Week 17 of intercepting Tua Tagovailoa for a pick-six, his biggest down moment was being stiff-armed by Derrick Henry that made him become internet famous for a long time.
2.) Signing WR Curtis Samuel - 2024
Maybe this is too early to rule it as a bust, but the signing of Curtis Samuel was a horrible decision based on how he produced this past season. The Bills signed Samuel to a three-year deal worth $24 million and he was very quiet throughout the season.
He only started in two games, playing in 14 throughout the season, and he had just one regular season touchdown. He managed to find the endzone again in the playoffs but it wasn’t enough production to help elevate the Bills’ offense. Samuel failed to reach 60 receiving yards in a game in 2024…
Only having 31 catches for 253 yards is unacceptable for the contract he was given. Maybe Joe Brady needs to be more creative on how to get him involved.
1.) Signing DE Von Miller to massive deal - 2022
When the major news broke that the Bills had signed Von Miller to a massive six-year, $120 million deal away from the Los Angeles Rams, it shocked the NFL world. The Bills finally had the closer that they needed to finally get past Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Miller was coming off his second Super Bowl championship win with the Rams and had 9.5 sacks with both the Rams and Broncos. Buffalo was ready to go and deliver their first Super Bowl to Western New York. Instead, it ended with heartbreak the past three years and Von Miller was not a contributor whatsoever.
His first season with the Bills was going extremely well until he tore his ACL on Thanksgiving Day, ending his season early on. Then in 2023, Miller was still recovering from the injury and he was more of a liability than he was an asset having just three total tackles on the season.
This past season was a big improvement from 2023, but still not anything special. He finished the year with six sacks but he was nowhere to be found in the playoffs. The game wrecker that Bills fans were hoping to see ended up being nothing more than an average player.
In Miller’s defence, tearing a major ligament in your knee is hard to come back from. Once that injury happen, it was going to be all downhill from there. It’s just the fact that Beane signed Miller to a big deal is what places him first on this list.