How many players in the last few years have had to overcome injuries like Bills’ Matt Milano? Very few. Milano played only nine games in the last two seasons after sustaining a leg injury in 2023 and then a biceps tear in 2024. All this led to the team reworking his deal in March. The result? A pay cut and free agency in 2026.

But it looks like the team isn’t giving up on their player just yet. You see, Milano has a strong relationship with head coach Sean McDermott. “There’s a real mental component to that also, of him being able to get himself back mentally, that, hey, I can still do this, and I can still do it, not just do it, but do it at a high level like Matt Milano used to do it, I applaud him for his mental ability and his ability to push through overall,” the HC stated last week. That being said, football is a team sport, and every team needs to plan and manage their players, right?

That’s what the Bills’ general manager, Brandon Beane, opined in a new interview with the Buffalo Bills on YouTube. “I think I kind of plan anyway, like, hey, we’re going to have injuries, especially up front. Like these guys have to go through a camp. So I am looking at it like, I already know two guys got beat up… you know, we lost a Matt Milano last year in training camp. And so, I’m kind of looking at it like that was very unfortunate, but I had already planned for that with other moves we had,” he told Jay Skurski. Translation? The Bills operate with a contingency plan baked in.

“You have to plan for these guys to go down. Whether they were facing [injuries] or not, we know we need to be strong up front, and we’re trying to have as many weapons as we can. You know, the best place at this point between now and the draft is the draft. Sometimes, post draft though guys become a cap casualty.” But here’s the plot twist:

While Milano is grinding through rehab, the Bills’ backfield darling James Cook has had back-to-back 1,000 rushing seasons and a league-leading 16 TDs. But he is stuck in extension limbo. Cook wants $15M a year; Beane’s response? “We’re gonna focus on the draft.” Oof. His 2024 regular-season stats: 207 rushing attempts, 1,009 rushing yards, and 16 touchdowns. Still, hope lingers.

Remember when Allen lobbied for Stefon Diggs? That worked out. Maybe Cook’s 2024 AFC Championship TD—a fourth-down dive will sway the brass. Or maybe Beane’s playing 4D chess, waiting for post-draft cap casualties. While Beane did not reveal much about their decision about Cook, he seems to have a lot of love for Milano.

Josh Allen’s veteran teammate, Milano’s grit!

Let’s talk Milano. The man’s 2023 production reads like a cliffhanger, but his 2025 pay cut? Pure sacrifice. By slashing $3M off his salary (with incentives to earn it back), Milano freed up $3.6M in cap space. But this isn’t just money math. It’s culture.

Milano’s the guy who, after snapping his leg in London in 2023, still showed up to road games like a Ted Lasso trooper, and Josh Allen took note of this last year. “Obviously he’s been traveling on away trips and staying in the ears of guys. To have that type of veteran leadership from a guy that has been through quite a bit over the last couple of years injury-wise. Never has he put his head down or said, ’ Poor me.’ He’s continued to work extremely hard. I’m very excited for his return because he deserves it.”

And Milano’s stats before injury? In the 2022 season, he played in 15 games and recorded a total of 99 tackles (72 solo and 27 assisted), 1.5 sacks. The man was once the identity of the Bills before injuries derailed him. No wonder Beane feels a certain way about him.

“Yeah, love Matt. Feel terrible for him,” Beane admitted. “You know, starting with that London game and then the freak deal in training camp this year. But Matt is everything you want in a Buffalo Bill.” 

In Buffalo, legacy isn’t just stats—it’s snow angels in the end zone and team spirit. It will be interesting to see how things turn out.

Do you think Milano will get better? Let us know in the comments below.

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