The Buffalo Bills are still attempting to get Stephon Gilmore and Cordy Glenn under long-term contracts before the season starts. Both young stars are heading into the final year of their contracts with very large cap numbers.
Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News reports he has "heard that the Bills view getting a long-term deal with Glenn as being more urgent in order to spread his dollars over a longer span."
That makes a lot of sense since his franchise tag figure is currently $13.7 million. While we projected a five-year, $55 million deal for Glenn in January, the deal has likely gone up slightly since the free agency period started. Another reason Glenn could be prioritized is the timeline; the deadline for a long-term extension for a franchised player is July 15th. Carucci notes a new deal won't be easy:
"Glenn and his representation understand the value of a good, reliable left tackle, which is what he is. He isn't a Pro Bowler and has never been to the playoffs, but in an era when non-Pro Bowlers and non-playoff players get ridiculous money, Glenn knows he has a massive payday coming. Rather than have so much of it tied up in a lump sum, though, the Bills would prefer to structure something that would put more of the guaranteed money in bonuses that are amortized over the life of the agreement."
Gilmore is in a similar boat but with a lower 2016 cap hit and he can sign a new contract at any time. The former first-round cornerback in coming into his own and set to make more than $11 million in 2016. His contract projection of six years, $73.5 million would have been a big commitment but that number was matched by lesser cornerbacks during this crazy free agency period, leading Gilmore to presumably ask for more.
"I'm hearing that the Bills figure on paying Gilmore, who is due to receive $11.082 million this year, an average of $12 to $12.5 million per season," says Carucci. With the contracts signed this offseason, they'll likely be closer to the $13 million per season range now.
As a reminder, both have very large cap numbers right now. Contract extensions would only help the Bills relieve cap space by giving both players signing bonuses instead of salaries and amortizing the cap hits over multiple seasons.