Where do the highest-paid Buffalo Bills rank compared to the rest of the NFL?

The Buffalo Bills haven’t signed a market-setting contract in at least a couple years, so their veterans are being outpaced by the rest of the NFL. With a trade of one of those upper-market contracts this offseason and new contracts all over the quarterback and wide receiver market, in particular, it’s time we look where the Bills rank.

Just one note before we get going: I am using average salary just because it’s the best metric I can sort. I would prefer to use “2024 cash” because it’s much more accurate, but can’t find one of those tables and don’t want to spend hours constructing it one player at a time.

Quarterback
1. Joe Burrow ($55 million)
10. Josh Allen ($43 million)

I said it at the time Allen signed his deal and will continue to say it: Allen signed a long contract that was going to underpay him very quickly. Allen was passed by Jared Goff and Kirk Cousins this offseason and there are looming deals for Dak Prescott, Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa, and Jordan Love that will slide Allen all the way down to 14th, potentially by the start of the 2024 season!

Running back
1. Christian McCaffrey ($19 million)
47. James Cook ($1.5 million)

The Bills don’t have any players at the running back position on lucrative contracts. Cook’s placement on the list is because he was a second-round pick. The rest of Buffalo’s backs are on (lesser) rookie deals or vet minimum contracts. Incidentally, Devin Singletary is 14th at $5.5 million with the Giants.

Wide receiver
1. Justin Jefferson ($35 million)
37. Curtis Samuel ($8 million)

Samuel was Buffalo’s marquee free-agent signing this offseason, but he doesn’t even crack the top 32 contracts in the NFL. He’s likely to be further down the list soon, too. Stefon Diggs right now is 15th at $22.5 million, but he was tied for 10th on his Buffalo deal at $24 million per season.

Tight end
1. Travis Kelce ($17.1 million)
13. Dawson Knox ($9.8 million)

Knox is supposed to be higher on this list. In 2024, he signed a brand-new deal that ripped up his four-year, $52 million deal from 2022 that paid him $13 million per season. That average would have placed him into the top 10.

Offensive tackle
1. Penei Sewell ($28 million)
7. Dion Dawkins ($20.02 million)

After signing a new deal this offseason, Dawkins moved into the top 10. His old deal averaged $14.6 million per season, which would have slotted him 25th. Sewell’s deal this offseason moved him past Houston’s Laremy Tunsil for the top spot.

Interior offensive line
1. Landon Dickerson ($21 million)
31. Connor McGovern ($7.45 million)

McGovern is among the highest-paid centers in the league, but when you add in the guards he falls a little further down. Old friend Mitch Morse is at $5.25 million per year, but if Buffalo hadn’t cut him, he was playing on a contract averaging $9.75 million.

Edge rusher
1. Nick Bosa ($34 million)
14. Von Miller ($20 million)

Bosa blows everyone out of the water, as second on the list is at $28.25 million (Jags Josh Allen). A much more accurate number for Miller would be $14.5 million, because that’s the three-year average and doesn’t include the bloated $30 million figure in 2027 they tacked on just to get the average up. At $14.5 million, he’d be 22nd in the NFL.

Defensive tackle
1. Chris Jones ($31.75 million)
15. Ed Oliver ($17 million)

Jones (and a bunch of other tackles) reset the market by a considerable margin this offseason. At the end of 2023, Quinnen Williams and his $24 million annual salary were tops in the NFL. Now, five players are averaging that much or more. When Oliver signed his contract a year ago, he was in the top 10. Brandon Beane got ahead of the market.

Linebacker
1. Roquan Smith ($20 million)
4. Matt Milano ($14.2 million)

Old friend Tremaine Edmunds is at $18 million, but Milano is still in the top four after his contract extension in 2023. Nicholas Morrow ($1.5 million) is the only other Bills linebacker not on a minimum or rookie deal.

Cornerback
1. Jaire Alexander ($21 million)
16. Taron Johnson ($10.25 million)

Johnson is a slot cornerback, but still cracks the top 16 spots on the list. it should be noted that Tre’Davious White’s deal was $17.25 million, on average, which would be ninth in the NFL. When White signed the deal, it was the largest in the league.

Cornerback
1. Antoine Winfield Jr. ($21 million)
38. Taylor Rapp (3.5 million)

Winfield’s dad played for the Bills in the 90s and the younger Winfield signed a record-setting contract this offseason. Jordan Poyer signed with the Dolphins for $2 million (58th) but he was set to play on a deal that averaged $6.25 million (23rd) if he stayed in Buffalo. Rapp isn’t even guaranteed to be a starter this year, and Mike Edwards ($2.8 million) is right at his heels financially.

Kicker
1. Jake Elliott ($6 million)
7. Tyler Bass ($5.1 million)

Bass is ahead of kickers who have had better years than him. His compensation is locked in for 2024, but another down year and Buffalo might move on.

Punter
1. Michael Dickson ($3.675 million)
15. Sam Martin ($2 million)

Buffalo just released Matt Haack, who was on a minimum salary at $1.125 million. If Matt Araiza was still on the Bills, he would be under $1 million.

Long snapper
1. Luke Rhodes ($1.6 million)
17. Reid Ferguson ($1.33 million)

If you look at Spotrac, it says Ferguson averages $1.15 million and is 27th. What gives!? In 2023, Ferguson was released during roster cuts and re-signed a day later in order to get another player to in-season Injured Reserve. His four-year total on the original contract averages $1.33 million. The number that bothers Reid more is probably that his brother, Blake, averages $1.35 million and is 15th.