The Buffalo Bills parted ways with a veteran player, building a bit of cap space and a hole in the roster that will need to be filled this offseason.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported on March 6 that the Bills released punter Sam Martin following contract discussions.
“The #Bills are releasing P Sam Martin today, source says. Martin is in the final year of his contract, and after discussions aimed at keeping him in Buffalo, the two parties decided to part ways,” Rapoport shared in a post on X. “Martin gets released now and can sign immediately.”
Bills Build Cap Space With Move
As ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg reported, the Bills reap some salary cap savings by releasing the 35-year-old punter.
“The move saves the Bills almost $1.9 million in cap space. Ends a three-year tenure for Martin in Buffalo,” Getzenberg shared in a post on X.
The Bills are projected to be over the salary cap as the new NFL season approaches, though general manager Brandon Beane has been optimistic about the team’s outlook. The team made several major moves last year to build cap space, parting ways with veteran players including Jordan Poyer and Mitch Morse and trading star receiver Stefon Diggs. Much of the salary cap savings from those moves carry over to 2025.
“We won’t be in as deep of a cap hole,” Beane said in February, via the team’s official website. “Now, we also had some numbers that were easier to move off of last year…I don’t think we have as many of those options, but we’re okay. We also have to remember we’ve got guys that are coming up on extensions…I don’t expect us to be, as I said here a year ago, big spenders in free agency or anything like that.”
The Bills have some other potentially high-leverage moves that would create cap space, including a contract restructure for quarterback Josh Allen or a pay cut for Von Miller. The edge rusher agreed to a reduced base salary for the 2024 season and could do so again, though some insiders believe the Bills could choose to cut ties with Miller as well.
New Need on Special Teams
With Martin’s release on Thursday, the Bills will need to find a new punter for the coming season — but may not need to look far. The team signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers punter Jake Camarda to a reserve/future contract in January.
Camarda was released by the Buccaneers in October following three games where he was a healthy scratch. Camarda had joined the Buccaneers as a fifth-round pick in 2022, appearing in 34 games and punting 169 times for 8,302 yards, a gross average of 49.1 yards per punt with a net average of 40.9.
The Bills made some big changes on special teams this offseason, firing coordinator Matthew Smiley and hiring Chris Tabor in his place. Tabor is a 15-year NFL veteran, most recently serving as interim head coach and special teams coordinator for the Carolina Panthers in 2023. He also spent time as special teams coordinator with the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns.
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