The Buffalo Bills are in a bit of a soft reset this offseason, firing head coach Sean McDermott and promoting Joe Brady to the top job. It’s not a full reset and they have Josh Allen, but they are pretty
close to the salary cap right now for 2026.
There’s been some chatter that one way they can create cap space and save cash is by trading Dion Dawkins. I can understand the argument.
Why would the Bills trade Dion Dawkins?
Dawkins is about to turn 32, he has the second-biggest cap hit on the team, and the third-biggest cash allotment in 2026. He had a good-not-great season and missed a game with a concussion (not exactly a sign of age catching up to him). When Dawkins was out, Ryan Van Demark came in and played pretty solidly and RVD is a lot cheaper. They could also move Spencer Brown over there full-time as he has cross-trained there and bring along a new right tackle in an easier assignment.
How much would the Bills save by trading Dion Dawkins?
Dawkins is set to make $16.8 million in 2026 in cash, with the majority coming in base salary so they don’t have to rush any moves. Part of that overall number is a $500,000 roster bonus in March and a $500,000 workout bonus prior to training camp. The remainder is paid during the season.
None of that money is guaranteed right now, so if they release him or trade him before the fifth day of the league year in March, they will owe him nothing. It would also be low-risk for the team trading for him, theoretically.
A chunk of it fully guarantees when the roster bonus hits, but the new team would pay that guaranteed salary after Buffalo paid the roster bonus, so this can go all the way to the draft if they want it to.
How would a Dion Dawkins trade impact the Bills’ cap space?
Buffalo has roughly -$10 million in cap space for 2026 right now. They will need to make moves to get under the cap. (It’s a relatively simple process.)
If he is on the team, Dawkins’ cap hit will be $24.8 million in 2026. Because none of his money is guaranteed, the entire $16.8 million in compensation would be removed if he was traded before the fifth day of the league year in March.
That would be offset by the acceleration of his dead cap money. That is money already paid to Dawkins in bonuses — signing and option bonuses — that has been spread out on the cap by the Bills over multiple years. Add the $6.6 million in dead cap from his 2024 contract extension to the $7.8 million dead cap from the 2025 restructure and $4.8 million from his 2025 option bonus, and the dead cap adds up quickly.
His dead cap hit would be $22 million, so Buffalo would only save roughly $2.85 million in cap space in 2026 BUT they wouldn’t be paying the $16.8 million and prolonging those dead cap hits to 2027 or 2028.
The mathematical logic makes sense to me, especially for 2027 and 2028. It’s a move similar to what they did with center Mitch Morse a couple offseason ago. It isn’t necessarily for 2026, it would be for the future years.
Trading Dion Dawkins would be really risky
General manager Brandon Beane stated in January that the number one goal he has is to protect Josh Allen, pointing to the offensive line investment they’ve made. So turning around and trading Dawkins doesn’t feel like part of the plan.
Adding to that is the status of left guard David Edwards and center Connor McGovern. Both of them are free agents heading into the 2026 offseason, and the cash for McGovern+Edwards is going to be significant. Spotrac estimates $16 million per season for McGovern and $20 million per season for Edwards. So they are already replacing a chunk of their OL interior.
So do you really want to trade a beloved locker room leader, the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year, the most recognizable face outside of Josh Allen, the man who just earned the key to the city of Buffalo? It seems like a long shot.
Writer’s note: Numbers come from Spotrac. The Over The Cap numbers for his dead money include the $5 million in salary guarantees from March 2026 for some reason.
Let us know what you think in the comments. Should the Bills use Dion Dawkins as a trade chip, release him, or keep him for 2026?
