Bills' Top Players to Consider for Franchise Tag, RFA Contract Tenders
The Buffalo Bills have a few players they could keep around for at least one more season via the franchise tag.
Linebacker Matt Milano and offensive tackle Daryl Williams are the biggest free agents from the roster, and both play key roles for the AFC East champion.
Milano was the heart and soul of the defense in 2020, and his play last season could see him command a high price tag on the free-agent market.
Williams was an underrated piece of the Buffalo offense that helped protect Josh Allen on a constant basis. He may not be the flashiest name on the roster, but he was one of the most important keys to success.
Buffalo can only franchise-tag one of the two impending free agents, so it has to carefully measure which one it can afford to keep on a one-year deal.
The Bills do not have any major restricted free agents, so most of their focus will be on either retaining or signing unrestricted free agents.
Matt Milano
Milano only played in 10 regular-season games for the Bills in 2020, but he made a major impact when on the gridiron.
The linebacker produced a career high 3.5 sacks and tallied 25 tackles in the three playoff games against the Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs.
Milano's improvement in the sack department and ability to be around the ball at a high rate makes him an intriguing addition for any team in need of a free-agent linebacker.
If Buffalo wanted to use the franchise tag on the 26-year-old, it would cost it $14.63 million on a $180.5 million salary cap, according to Over The Cap's Jason Fitzgerald.
If the tag were applied to Milano, he would join Stefon Diggs and Tre'Davious White as the highest earners for the 2021 campaign.
Buffalo has to weigh Milano's free-agent value when considering his franchise-tag price. If its valuation of the Boston College product is lower than the franchise-tag number, it may make more sense to re-sign him to a new deal.
Daryl Williams
Using the franchise tag on Williams could make more sense from a financial perspective.
Per Fitzgerald, the franchise-tag price for offensive linemen would be $13.60 million. That number applies to offensive tackles, guards and centers.
That is important to note since the Bills would not have to pay the 28-year-old a large sum because he is an offensive tackle.
For the 2021 season, 10 left tackles and two right tackles have salary-cap numbers of $14 million or higher.
If Buffalo values Williams as an important piece for protecting Allen, it could receive a discount on the market compared to other top offensive tackles.
If the Bills save some money by signing him to a one-year franchise deal and release John Brown and a few others with high salaries, they could open up enough cash to re-sign Milano on a non-franchise-tag deal.
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Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.
Contract information obtained from Over The Cap.