The Bills came into this season among the betting favorites to win the Super Bowl. Instead, they were bounced out in the divisional round with a 27-10 home loss to the Bengals.
Two days after the defeat, general manager Brandon Beane was asked during a media session if there was anything he saw in the way that Cincinnati’s built its roster that he felt Buffalo would be able to emulate. His response might draw some raised eyebrows from those in the Bengals’ corner.
“They have a good team. They, right now, are on the advantage of a rookie quarterback contract. They had some lean years and, without getting too much into their build, I don’t want to suck bad enough to have to get Ja’Marr Chase,” Beane said. “He’s a heck of a talent, I’d love to have him. But you’ve got to go through some lean years to do that.
Beane expanded on that point, acknowledging the benefits of having stars like Chase and Joe Burrow on affordable contracts in comparison to Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs, who combined for over $36 million on the Bills’ cap this season.
“Those guys are on their rookie deals. We’re paying Stefon Diggs a pretty hefty number. We’re paying Josh Allen a pretty hefty number. So, there [are] the constraints of the cap, but they have a really good team,” Beane said. “They’ve got some good young players. We’re gonna try to get as many good players as we can through the draft and through free agency. But, again, our cap situation is a little different.”
