ESPN's Mike Rodak reported on Tuesday that the Buffalo Bills have re-structured the contract of kicker Dan Carpenter. The alteration does not save the Bills much in the way of 2016 salary cap space, but it does make a couple of key tweaks that will allow the Bills to more easily rid themselves of Carpenter's contract if the kicker continues to struggle next season.
Carpenter's base salary was lowered by $250,000, from $2.025 million to $1.775 million, and that $250,000 represents the Bills' cap savings; Carpenter can earn that money back by hitting certain performance incentives.
In addition, a $250,000 roster bonus, which are typically due in March, was changed so that it would be earned only if Carpenter makes the 53-man roster this fall.
Carpenter, 30, is entering the third year of a lucrative four-year contract that he signed before the 2014 regular season. He had a down year in 2015, missing six extra points and seeing his successful field goal percentage drop from 91.7 and 89.5 in the two respective previous years to 85.2 last season.