Buffalo Bills release Jon Feliciano

He refused a pay cut.

The Buffalo Bills have informed guard Jon Feliciano of his release. The guard tweeted a brief goodbye on Twitter and Matt Parrino from Syracuse.com reported it. The move puts Buffalo under the 2022 salary cap for the first time this offseason.

According to Parrino, the Bills approached Feliciano about taking a pay cut and he declined. With a $3.1 million salary in 2022, I said in February I didn’t think a pay cut would work. He can get at least $2 million in guaranteed money on the open market, so why take a pay cut to stay in Buffalo?

Feliciano’s contract had no guaranteed money in 2022 or beyond and his signing bonus was low, so his dead-cap hit is just $1.5 million. In short, it’s pretty easy to walk away if you’re Buffalo. The Bills save $3.1 million in salary as well as a $500,000 roster bonus, topping $3.6 million in total savings after taking into account the other bonuses he could earn.

So the Bills will have a new offensive line coach in 2022, and at least a few new faces. Feliciano is gone, Ryan Bates is a Restricted Free Agent, Ike Boettger is recovering from a torn Achilles, and that could just be the start.

Next Read

• All-22 Review: Jon Feliciano
• All-22 Review: Cody Ford
• All-22 Review: Daryl Williams
• All-22 Review: Ryan Bates
• Salary cap savings if they cut Jon Feliciano
• Contract restructure more likely than salary cap cut for Daryl Williams
• What will Ryan Bates make on the open market?
• Ike Boettger’s 2021 RFA tag gives insight on Ryan Bates situation
• Free-agent OGs for the Bills to consider
• 2022 NFL Draft options at guard
• Opinion: Here’s Bruce’s multi-layered approach to the interior offensive line this offseason