3 players (and a coach) who likely won't return to Bills in 2025

Here are three players and one coach who don't look likely to return to the Buffalo Bills next season.

Ronnie Eastham | Nov 26, 2024

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Each NFL offseason brings with it a hefty amount of turnover for each team, and the 2025 offseason will be no different with regard to the Buffalo Bills. A year removed from a massive reshuffle that saw the departure of stars like Stefon Diggs, Micah Hyde, and Jordan Poyer, next spring figures to be a bit less eventful at One Bills Drive, but there could still be a flurry of activity. The team is projected to have north of $8 million in salary cap space, and though there aren’t a ton of foundational pieces on expiring deals, they could receive extensions this offseason. Some players, thus, could be shown the exit door in order to create the financial resources necessary to extend players like Greg Rousseau, Christian Benford, and Khalil Shakir.

Buffalo fans likely won’t experience the anguish brought by the releases of Poyer, Tre’Davious White, and Mitch Morse on the same day last year, but a few players could still be released in order to create long-term financial flexibility. With that, here are three players (and a coach) who likely won’t return to Orchard Park next season.

DE Von Miller

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Through seven games, veteran pass-rusher Von Miller has recorded only eight total tackles while playing in a rotational role; that said, he's produced four sacks, four tackles for a loss, and six quarterback hits. Even at 35 years old, he seems to have a little left in the tank, but at what point will Father Time catch up to him? That could come at any point, and if the Bills release him with a post-June 1st next year, they'll only take on a little more than $6 million in dead money but would save $17.5 million on the cap. Even releasing him outright sans any special designations would save roughly $8.5 million.

Miller is objectively one of the best pass rushers of his generation, but as it stands, Buffalo is set to allot roughly 9% of its cap next season to a 36-year-old defender who (likely) won't ever play on more than 50% of the team's snaps in any given game. This doesn't seem like a wise utilization of resources given the young players who will need extensions sooner or later.

CB Rasul Douglas

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This has nothing to do with the quality of Rasul Douglas’ play, as he has been stellar since being acquired from the Green Bay Packers midway through the 2023 season. That said, the team can’t pay everybody; Buffalo would likely love to extend Douglas’ deal (which is set to expire after the 2024 season), but when he’s set to turn 31 ahead of the 2025 season, would it be wise to give Douglas the significant deal he’d likely garner from another club when players like Rousseau, Benford, Shakir, Terrel Bernard, and James Cook need second contracts? The team has also been quietly developing players like Kaiir Elam and Ja’Marcus Ingram, who could potentially step into the starting role sans Douglas. Again, seeing Douglas back at One Bills Drive next season certainly wouldn’t be unwelcome, but from a roster-building perspective, there are extensions the Bills should likely prioritize over his.

DT DaQuan Jones

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DaQuan Jones is under contract until 2025, this thanks to the extension he signed last year, but at (soon to be) 33 years of age, he may be considered as a post-June 1st release next year. This move would save the Bills $5.5 million, despite incurring a dead money charge of close to $4 million. Jones was stellar in his initial years in Buffalo, but he’s been underwhelming this season, with neither he nor Ed Oliver consistently reaching the highs they’ve seen in recent seasons. The middle of Buffalo’s defensive line has generally struggled this year in both stopping the run and generating pressure, and the group could benefit from a revamp next spring; said revamp could see the departure of Jones.

OC Joe Brady

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The Bills are on their third offensive coordinator since quarterback Josh Allen arrived at One Bills Drive, but that's what happens when you have one of the top quarterbacks in the league and the offense to go with it. Other teams hope the offensive coordinator can work magic with a new team and quarterback, case in point Brian Daboll, who the New York Giants were hoping could turn Daniel Jones into a poor man's version of Allen. That didn't happen, but don't be shocked if another organization takes a similar swing with current Buffalo coordinator Joe Brady next spring.

In early November, Brady was floated as a leading candidate for the then-recently created New Orleans Saints head coaching vacancy, and the Saints likely won't be the only team that will come calling. Brady is expected to have several opportunities after helming an offense that currently ranks third in the league in points per game at 29.1. The question will come down to whether or not Brady wants to leave the Bills for a head coaching vacancy now, or some time down the road. If Buffalo can win a Super Bowl this year, Brady likely take a head job somewhere; however, if not, maybe he'll want to stick around Buffalo for one more shot at a title with Josh Allen.

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