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Earlier this offseason, the Buffalo Bills approached veteran guard Richie Incognito about taking a pay cut for the 2018 season. In order to save his roster spot, that’s exactly what Incognito did, agreeing to $1.675 million reduction according to ESPN’s Field Yates.
Source: G Richie Incognito has officially agreed to a pay cut with the Bills. His base salary drops from $6.325M to $3.65M, plus he collected a $1M bonus. The team created $1.675M in cap space.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 21, 2018
Buffalo gave him a million bucks in a bonus now and cut his 2018 salary paid during the season by $2.675 million. The bonus is a gesture by Buffalo to help show Incognito they want him here even while lowering his pay for the future. It will lower his cap hit by the aforementioned $1.675 million this season in the final year of his deal.
Incognito made $3.175 million plus a $500,000 bonus in 2017 so his 2018 figures of $3.65 million and a $1 million bonus still represent a good raise on his contract from year to year. His cap hit now stands at $5.9 million in 2018, up from $4.925 million in 2017 but not prohibitively so and down from what was supposed to be $7.575 million.
Set to turn 35 this offseason, Buffalo chose not to negotiate an extension with Incognito, who made the Pro Bowl in 2017 and didn’t show any signs of slowing down. If they are going to extend him, it now won’t be until after the season when he’s set to become a free agent.