Buffalo Bills void-year deadline triggers $29M in 2026 dead cap

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - JANUARY 11: Matt Milano #58 of the Buffalo Bills celebrates during an NFL wild card playoff football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium on January 11, 2026 in Jacksonville, FL. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Today is one of the sneakiest days on the NFL offseason schedule: the void year deadline. For the Buffalo Bills, it means several contracts will officially trigger their automatic voids for 2026 and beyond. When that happens, any remaining prorated bonus money doesn't disappear - it accelerates onto the 2026 salary cap.

Here's where things stand:

LB Matt Milano: $11 million dead cap
C Connor McGovern: $4.8 million dead cap
DT DaQuan Jones: $3.7 million dead cap
DE A.J. Epenesa: $2.8 million dead cap
DE Joey Bosa: $7.2 million dead cap

Void years are a useful cap-management tool. They allow teams to spread signing bonus money over additional void" years to lower the immediate cap hit. It's a cost-effective solution for high contract values during the contract period. But if a player is not extended before the void date, the remaining prorated bonus accelerates into the current league year.

For Buffalo, this represents more than $29 million in dead-cap space hitting the 2026 books from these five contracts alone. Most significantly, that figure reprsents money allocated to players no longer under contract.

Now, acceleration doesn't necessarily mean panic. President of football operations/general manager Brandon Beane has consistently used void years as part of his cap strategy, often pairing them with extensions or restructures. The question is whether any of these players return on new deals that effectively offset" the accelerated hits. The money is always due eventually, it's only a question of when.

Milano's number is the headline. Bosa's is significant. For the cap is not real" crowd, the void-year bill has arrived.