The Buffalo Bills are reportedly losing patience with kicker Tyler Bass.
In Week 1, during the Bills’ victory over the Arizona Cardinals, Bass made both of his field goal attempts, but they were each under 40 yards. He connected on a 43-yarder in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins, but later missed a 45-yard attempt in the fourth quarter that went so wide left many viewers thought it was blocked.
Although the Bills beat Miami 31-10, head coach Sean McDermott began considering other options soon after. Two days later, on September 17, the Bills worked out kickers Anders Carlson and Cade York. While neither seems to be a clear upgrade, their tryouts raised eyebrows.
Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic commented, “This is significant for the Bills. If concerns about Bass persist, the next step might be signing a kicker to the practice squad. Bass has made all his extra points and all but one field goal, but that miss was in a non-pressure moment and was glaring.”
A lot has changed since Bass signed a four-year, $21 million extension in April 2023. Last season, he made just 82.8% of his field goals, and struggled in the playoffs, going 2-for-5, including a missed 27-yarder in the AFC Wild Card game.
In the AFC Divisional round against the Kansas City Chiefs, Bass missed a game-tying 44-yard attempt with 1:43 remaining, sending the ball wide right. The Bills ultimately lost 27-24.
Bass’s struggles were evident even in the preseason. While McDermott and GM Brandon Beane have expressed confidence in his ability to bounce back, Bass made just 5-of-12 field goal attempts from 40 yards or more during his final week of practice and the last preseason game, according to The Athletic’s Tim Graham.
In Buffalo’s last preseason matchup against the Carolina Panthers on August 24, Bass missed a 51-yard attempt in a 31-26 loss. McDermott acknowledged, “He knows those are the ones he’s got to make. It looked like it faded to the right a bit. He’s going to work on it this week.”
Cutting Bass would be financially difficult for Buffalo. If they release him, it would result in a $7.38 million dead cap hit. The Bills are already dealing with significant cap consequences after parting ways with Stefon Diggs this offseason.
Trading Bass also seems unlikely due to his inconsistency, though a trade would shift his $2.8 million salary for 2024 to the new team. Releasing him after the season would reduce the dead cap hit to around $3 million.
While the financial implications of cutting Bass are problematic, the team’s trust in their kicker may ultimately determine his future. If Bass can’t be relied upon to win games, the Bills may have no choice but to move on.
