Join our FREE personalized newsletter for news, trends, and insights that matter to everyone in America

Newsletter
New

Bills Restructure Michael Hoecht’s Contract, Save Money On Salary Cap

Card image cap

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 26: Michael Hoecht #55 of the Buffalo Bills warms up prior to the NFL 2025 game between the Buffalo Bills and the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on October 26, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Kara Durrette/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Apparently the Buffalo Bills wanted to free some cap space before their Week 1 win over the Houston Texans.

According to Mike Ginnitti, founder of Spotrac.com, the team restructured the contract of veteran outside linebacker Michael Hoecht:

Prior to Week 1, the Buffalo #Bills converted $4.825M of DE Michael Hoecht's salary into signing bonus, creating $3.6M of cap.

The 28-year-old is set to earn $6.65M this season, with another $1M available via incentives.

— Spotrac (@spotrac) September 14, 2026

That $3.6M in cap space is not nothing. Whether you check Spotrac or OverTheCap.com, the two best NFL contracts site on the Internet, the Bills are in the bottom fourth of the league in cap space.

Spotrac now has them with $5.2M in space. OverTheCap has Buffalo at an even $6M entering Week 2. This gives Brandon Beane flexibility if he wants to make any in-season acquisitions.

Hoecht amazingly returned from his early November Achilles tear to play 24 defensive snaps — and 19 special teams snaps — against Houston in Week 1. He registered two quarterback pressures of C.J. Stroud. He was credited with five tackles in the Bills win.

The Bills initially had a pretty easy out with Hoecht’s contract after this season… this increases the chances he’s on the roster in 2027, and given what he has demonstrated in his three games thus far for Buffalo, it’s a sensible for the Bills to want the 28-year-old defender on the team for another season beyond this one.