Buffalo Bills right tackle Jordan Mills has started 53 consecutive games for the team, manning the right edge for multiple head coaches and line coaches. Even so, lots of Bills fans are ready to see him go. Certainly an upgrade is possible, and with Mills set to hit free agency this offseason, it’s a logical time to consider his spot on the team.
One factor we’re going to consider here is how much it would cost to keep him. Offensive tackles are getting harder and harder to come by in the NFL and one with this much experience is going to get paid a bit more than you might expect.
Comparable contracts
Jordan Mills
Buffalo Bills
Two years, $3.8 million in 2017
Let’s compare Mills to Mills. By average value, Mills’s last deal was worth $1.9 million per season, which would place him 24th among right tackles with active contracts heading into 2019. That’s low, and Buffalo was fielding a new coach in 2017 with Mills only coming off one year as the starter in Western New York.
Marshall Newhouse
Buffalo Bills
One year, $1.5 million in 2018
At 29 years old when he signed his contract, Mills and Newhouse are almost the same age. Mills obviously beat out Newhouse in 2018, and it was never close, so you can assume Mills is going to make more than Newhouse did a year ago and maybe even a lot more.
Benjamin Ijalana
New York Jets
One year, $2,500,000 in 2018
Brought in to compete for the starting job, Ijalana was eventually settled into the swing-tackle role before he was placed on injured reserve in the preseason.
Austin Howard
Indianapolis Colts
One year, $3.75 million
Brought in to be a safety blanket, Howard flamed out in Indianapolis and they released him with his $1.3 million signing bonus. He eventually caught on with the oft-injured Washington NFL team for a veteran-minimum deal to finish off the season as a guard.
Garry Gilliam
San Francisco 49ers
Two years, $7.75 million
Gilliam essentially signed a one-year, $2.15 million guaranteed contract a year ago when he re-upped with San Fran. Bonuses raised that by $500,000 since he was active for each game, but he didn’t start any. He has just one start since signing with the 49ers originally in 2017 after a pair of years as the starting right tackle for the Seattle Seahawks (where he struggled in pass protection). The second year is not guaranteed and he has a huge salary of $4.5 million. The roster bonus is small enough where they can keep him all the way to the end of August before making a decision on that big salary hit.
Projection
Only one free-agent right tackle signed a multi-year deal in 2018, when Chris Hubbard received a five-year deal from the Cleveland Browns coming off his rookie deal. Mills isn’t as young or as talented as Hubbard, so projecting anything longer than two years is probably foolish.
Two years, $6 million
$1 million signing bonus
2019
Pro-rated signing bonus: $500,000
Salary: $2 million
Cap hit: $2.5 million
2020
Pro-rated signing bonus: $500,000
Roster bonus: $500,000 due third day of league year
Salary: $2.5 million
Cap hit: $3.5 million