Earlier this summer, the Buffalo Bills acquired safety Mike Edwards from the Kansas City Chiefs. The figures are in, and it’s evident that Edwards will be in the mix from the outset.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane has frequently stated that he prefers to fill holes so that he can select the best player available in the NFL Draft without being obliged to take a position. Beane is likely to fall short of that target this year, but Edwards, with 28 career starts, provides enough reliability to serve as a stopgap at safety.
According to Over the Cap, the Bills paid him $2.8 million, so he should be excluded from the compensatory pick formula. So let’s look at the actual numbers.
Edwards received a $1 million signing bonus as part of the deal, likely ensuring he’s in the plans for 2024 in some way, shape, or form.
While $600,000 of his $1.24 million base salary is fully guaranteed, with offset language, as long as he’s on another team, the Bills wouldn’t be on the hook for that.
Like most Beane contracts, Edwards has a workout bonus ($50,000) and a per-game roster bonus ($30,000 per game up to $510,000). Because he played in 17 games last year, all of that roster bonus will count on the cap this year.
As the 51st-highest paid safety in the NFL, Edwards is on the edge of starter-level pay when you factor in rookie deals and 64 starting safeties. Like I said earlier, even if he doesn’t end up starting, he’ll be in the mix as the top reserve.
For reference, Taylor Rapp is averaging $3.5 million per season in his deal and making $4.2 million this season. Jordan Poyer signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Miami Dolphins but was scheduled to make $4.74 million in base salary with Buffalo plus incentives.
2024
Signing bonus: $1 million
Workout bonus: $50,000
Per-game active bonus: $30,000 per game up to $510,000 ($510,000 LTBE)
Base salary: $1.24 million ($600,000 guaranteed)
Total cash: $2.8 million
Dead cap if cut: $1 million (if he’s signed by another team)
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