After a down year in 2014 following a procedure to have his kidney removed during the offseason, Buffalo Bills left tackle Cordy Glenn bounced back in a big way in 2015. The Bills had a great rushing attack, and Glenn more than held his own in pass protection. Entering free agency, re-signing Glenn is a top priority for Buffalo's front office, but it will almost certainly be for more than $10 million per season, according to The Buffalo News.
"Why? This is a perfect storm for the left tackle," writes Tyler Dunne in the article. "He plays a premium position, he's still young at 26 years old, there isn't much else available at all in free agency, and the transition from college to the pros for rookie tackles has been particularly brutal the last few years."
Our projection from earlier this offseason had Glenn signing for five years, $55 million. That includes a relatively small cap hit in 2016, done by design to account for the Bills being fairly cap-strapped thanks to their spending spree last spring.
In the event Buffalo decides to use the franchise tag, they would be on the hook for much more than $10 million, which would eat up the lion's share of the money saved by the expected release Mario Williams. Dunne suggests the franchise tag is the most likely outcome because Glenn's agent has previously turned franchise tags into long-term deals. Considering their cap situation, it is clearly in the Bills' best interest to negotiate a longer-term deal, something Glenn and his agent will most likely use as leverage.
It's likely Glenn will be back next year, in any event; it just remains to be seen how much he will cost. The floor is, per Dunne's source, $10 million, while the ceiling could be as much as the $13 million a year deal Washington's Trent Williams signed for a year ago. Not bad for a guard playing tackle.