When the Buffalo Bills suddenly cut many players from their team on March 6, which surprised fans and analysts. In just a few hours, Bills general manager Brandon Beane let go of six experienced players.
The sudden farewells to Jordan Poyer, Tre’Davious White, and Mitch Morse — who have been key players for the Bills for a long time — were especially hard. When appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Beane mentioned that the process was “difficult,” but necessary.
“You don’t want to do it. And it’s not that they can’t play, it’s the business part of it,” Beane explained on March 26. “And you can’t fit all these salaries in and we’re having to make a little bit of a youth movement on the back of your defense. We did need to get younger in some areas and the business part makes you do it.”
The Bills went into the offseason $43.3 million over the $255.4 million cap. After making changes to several contracts and allowing players like Gabe Davis and Leonard Floyd to leave in free agency, the Bills now have around “$6 to $7 million” available in space, as Beane told reporters on March 24. This doesn't include the $10 million Buffalo will receive with White’s release on June 1.
Making those calls to Morse, Poyer, and White, “That’s the hard part about this job,” Beane said. “There are a lot of hard things, but it doesn’t get harder than saying goodbye to some of the names.”
Beane recognized the huge role these players had played in the team's success since 2017, including making the playoffs six times and winning four AFC East titles. However, he had to remove the emotional aspect from it. By resetting the team now, Buffalo avoids the financial “mess” they would have faced if they kept the same team.
Brandon Beane clarified that Micah Hyde is Still a Free Agent and Could Come back in 2024
GettyFormer Bills safety Micah Hyde at Highmark Stadium on October 26, 2023.
While acknowledging the end of the All-Pro safety duo that was Poyer and Micah Hyde in Buffalo, Beane clarified to McAfee, “Micah is still a free agent.”
Hyde’s wife, Amanda Hyde, strongly signaled that their time in Buffalo was over after the Bills were eliminated from the playoffs. But if Hyde decides not to retire, returning to Orchard Park is a possibility, according to Beane. “I’ve talked to his agent since I’ve talked to Micah, I don’t think he shut the door, yet. I think it’s still open, and we definitely wouldn’t shut the door to ever bring a Micah Hyde back, if he decides to play. I don’t know truly if he’s 100% one way or another.”
Considering the team’s cap space, there’s only so much money Buffalo could offer the 33-year-old veteran. “I mean, obviously, it would have to fit within the cap,” Beane acknowledged. “Maybe he says, ‘Hey, I’ll play for Buffalo or another team, but I’m not playing for less price.’ So it would still have to fit within the business model to make it work.”
The possibility of
White returning after being released is also open. “I told him, I said, just because this move is now doesn’t mean it doesn’t work out for us to get you back in Buffalo,” Beane said. The Bills Took the Decision to Cut Mitch Morse Very Seriously
Releasing White and Poyer was difficult due to their age and injuries, but it wasn't completely unexpected.
Most shocking move yet https://t.co/I75KO5XOOq
— Jon Scott (@JonScottTV) March 6, 2024
The decision to release Morse was surprising, however The former team captain for the Bills, who played a key role on the offensive line for the quarterback.
since 2019, allowed the fewest sacks (24) of Allen’s career last season. At age 31, he showed no signs of slowing down, appearing in all 18 games. Releasing Morse saved the team $8.47 million while taking a $3 million cap hit. Josh Allen “You don’t take that decision lightly, and it doesn’t mean that it’s the perfect decision,” Beane said. “But when we did sign
Connor (McGovern) last year we did say, ‘Hey, this is a guy that could be a future center for us when his number’s called.” Buffalo plans to shift McGovern, who they signed to a three-year,
contract last offseason, to center, while David Edwards competes at left guard. “We didn’t know at that time that we’d call it this time but Connor has welcomed the opportunity and he’ll get his chance once we start lining up,” Beane said. $27 million As for Morse, the Pro Bowler signed a two-year,
$10.5 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars Bills general manager Brandon Beane speaks out about of the head-turning wave of cuts Buffalo made before free agency started.
