The Buffalo Bills were able to get Daryl Williams to re-sign before the 2021 NFL Free Agency period kicked off next week. It’s a big win for them and the contract details are in (via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle and Field Yates of ESPN) and they look pretty great for Buffalo.
A $5.4 million signing bonus plus a $3 million roster bonus and his 2021 salary is fully guaranteed, making this essentially a year-to-year deal with all the fully guaranteed money up front. He will make $9.4 million in Year 1 plus the bonuses and incentives he earns.
Year 2 has no roster bonus, but a big salary guarantee in the first week of the new league year instead. His salary is $6.725 million plus small bonuses and incentives. Year 3 has a $1.25 million roster bonus plus a $5.475 million base salary.
Each season has up to $2.2 million in annual incentives built in, as well, including an annual bonus for being named to the Pro Bowl. The rest of the incentives aren’t known at this time.
The most interesting part of the entire deal is the $3 million roster bonus next week. Buffalo could have saved $2 million on this year’s cap by including that in the signing bonus, but chose not to do that. It hedges their bets for the future, as his dead-cap hit would have suffered had they chosen to spread that out.
If I’m giving my opinion, this looks like a great deal for the Bills and a soft deal for Williams. I thought he could get $18 million fully guaranteed and he ended up with barely more than half that at $9.4 million. Add to that the 2021 roster bonus vs. signing bonus conversation leaving Buffalo clear of that cap space a year from now, and this is a very team-friendly deal. Instead of his dead-cap hit being $5.6 million in 2022, it’s only $3.6 million.
I had projected a three-year, $24 million deal for Williams and this is three years, $24.6 million, but the deal I gave him was much stronger for Williams with more guaranteed money into Year 2 of the deal. Bills general manager Brandon Beane was able to build in a big out after Year 1 that Williams and his representation weren’t able to secure.
Here are the yearly breakdowns:
2021
Pro-rated signing bonus: $1.8 million
Roster bonus: $3 million (guaranteed)
Workout bonus: $100,000
Base salary: $1 million (fully guaranteed)
Per-game active bonus: $15,625 per game up to $250,000 total
Cap hit: $6.15 million
2022
Pro-rated signing bonus: $1.8 million
Workout bonus: $100,000
Base salary: $6.725 million (guarantees if on roster on 5th day of league year)
Per-game active bonus: $18,750 per game up to $300,000 total
Cap hit: $8.925 million
Dead cap: $3.6 million
Savings if cut: $5.325 million
2023
Pro-rated signing bonus: $1.8 million
Roster bonus: $1.25 million
Workout bonus: $100,000
Base salary: $5.475 million
Per-game active bonus: $18,750 per game up to $300,000 total
Cap hit: $8.925 million
Dead cap: $1.8 million
Savings if cut: 7.125 million