The Buffalo Bills and linebacker Matt Milano agreed to a reworked contract which has some curious as to why.
At the top, according to FOX Sports, Milano agreed to take the final year of his contract off the books in 2026 and the new deal will lower his cap hit this season.
In March 2023, Milano and the team agreed to an extension which signed him through the 2026 season. Instead, after this upcoming year, Milano will reportedly be a free agent:
The #Bills removed a year from LB Matt Milano’s contract, making him a free agent after this season. He agreed to a $3M+ pay cut for 2025 but can earn it back through incentives. pic.twitter.com/JlGY1K7gqc
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 18, 2025
There are two sides to the equation for Milano’s reworked contract.
On the surface and the way the front office will likely spin the deal is that general manager Brandon Beane wanted some more breathing room on this year’s salary cap. Milano’s restructure frees up around $3 million in cap space for the Bills and drops his dollars down $3M from his original salary of $14.5M 2025.
But why would Milano do that?
Some speculate that Buffalo might have been considering releasing him so the 30-year-old agreed to the deal. It is worth noting that Milano can earn more of his dollars back through incentives while helping his team, but it’s still less security.
While we might never know the full truth, it’s still worth noting because of Milano’s injury history. He’s dealt with plenty throughout his career early on and the All-Pro linebacker stayed healthy in 2021 and 2022 as Milano only missed three games in that time frame. However, Milano has only featured in nine contests the past two years combined.
Milano was a fifth-round pick of the Bills at the 2017 NFL draft, the first with head coach Sean McDermott at the helm.
In fairness to Milano, he did have a positive postseason in 2025. In the team’s three playoff games last season, Milano had two sacks and 17 tackles.
It remains to be seen what Milano’s future holds beyond 2025. Buffalo or elsewhere? There is also the possibility he manages to cash in as a free agent in a year from now as well.