Should Buffalo Bills pick up Spencer Long’s club option for 2020?

The Buffalo Bills signed offensive lineman Spencer Long last offseason to begin the process of solidifying their offensive line. After the dust cleared, they signed several more linemen and Long was relegated to backup duty when the season came around.

Long played 174 snaps on offense (16.28%) in addition to 54 special teams snaps (13%) as an active reserve lineman in 14 games. He had zero starts but was pressed into action to replace Mitch Morse and Jon Feliciano. He performed okay in limited duty, but one of the reasons he was signed was because he had experience at center. However, when it came time to replace Morse, Feliciano slid over to center and Long played guard.

The contract Long signed is structured differently than most. Instead of being a traditional three-year deal, each year of the contract is a club option. Essentially, Buffalo has to choose if they want to keep him or not.

Long is due a $300,000 option bonus “before the start of the league year” if Buffalo wants to keep him for the offseason. His salary figure is a little more difficult to pin down.

It was reported last February that Long’s 2020 base salary would be $2.55 million but it could go up by $1 million if he reached certain playing time incentives in 2019 or down by as much as $800,000. Several per-game bonuses for being on the roster and active on the game-day roster were also built into the deal.

So as it stands, Over the Cap lists his salary figure at $1.55 million and Spotrac lists it at $2.55 million. It’s much more likely to be closer to the OTC number based on the reporting from last year. Plus, he will earn $62,500 for every game he’s on the roster and another $15,625 for every game he’s active. That’s another potential $1.25 million.

So the question becomes, do you want to pay Spencer Long $2.8 to $3.8 million to be your Quinton Spain replacement, or maybe once again serve as the interior reserve swing lineman? If it only costs $300,000 in an option bonus and $100,000 in workout payments this offseason, it seems like a no-brainer to keep him around.