Eric Wood got his lucrative Buffalo Bills contract extension but is it too much?

Eric Wood has been a cornerstone for the Buffalo Bills franchise since he was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. Now Wood is 31 and coming off another injury. During that injury, Ryan Groy stepped into the center spot and filled Wood’s shoes with little to no drop-off. Nonetheless, Wood received a contract extended but the Bills may have overpaid.

Wood has been nothing but stellar as a man and has played a big role in Buffalo’s community over the past eight years but that doesn't mean he should be paid a king’s ransom for his play, especially at his age.

The Bills will have about $36 million in cap space for the 2018 according to overthecap.com. With six picks in the first two rounds and free agents like Preston Brown, Jordan Matthews, and Jerel Worthy, that money could diminish quickly. Wood is set to make $8.5 million in 2017, $8.6 million in 2018 and $7.7 million in 2019 with a $6.5 million signing bonus as well. I’m no NFL GM, but those numbers are eye-popping considering the situation the Bills are in with a potential long-term replacement sitting on the bench. It would've made more sense if Wood received this type of yearly salary for his first contract extension after his rookie deal.

In contrast, Groy is signed for two years at $5 million total. When Wood went down with his leg injury for the last half of the season, the transition among the offensive line was seamless and Groy was excellent. After a couple games, you would forget that Wood wasn't playing. Groy stepped up big time and was a pleasant surprise for the Bills. At only 26 years old, Groy still has at the very least five or six years left of his career, where Wood may not play through his extension if the Bills don't become successful soon. If need be, Groy could have taken over the starting job if Wood were to go elsewhere.