The Buffalo Bills are getting active during the 2026 NFL Free Agency period. However, they started early. First, they traded for wide receiver DJ Moore, and now, they’ve released a Josh Allen teammate to create some space.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Bills are releasing Curtis Samuel. The nine-year veteran spent two seasons with the Bills, but last year, he only played six games for seven catches and 81 yards. He became a non-factor for Josh Allen and the team as he also spent quite a while on Injured Reserve.
Samuel is now headed to free agency, where the 29-year-old will try to go to a team where he can shine. His best year was back in 2020, where he got 851 yards in 15 games with the Carolina Panthers, where he was the teammate of DJ Moore, the one who indirectly caused his release from the Bills.
Samuel is a collateral cap casualty
The Bills will save $6 million in 2026 salary cap space. Unfortunately for Samuel, the fact that Moore arrived on the team meant that one wideout was going to be let go. Unfortunately, it was him. Samuel struggled to stay healthy and struggled with his production as well.
The move helps alleviate the Bills’ salary cap constraints. The Bills also released cornerback Taron Johnson, which will save a further $1.9 million in cap space. Hence, the Bills are trying to create room for bigger moves by releasing expendable players.
Bills WR room is heavily paid
The Bills were the second-highest-paid WR room in the NFL, only behind the Bengals. With this move, they will go down to the fourth. They went from $59.4 million spent on WRs to $53.4, putting them below the Dallas Cowboys ($56.7m) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($56.3m).
The difference is that when you think about the Bengals, Cowboys, and Buccaneers, you think of elite WR rooms that warrant that kind of money. With the Bills, it’s just not the case, as they’ve been a below par unit for years.