Bills $21 Million Kicker in Hot Seat After Awful Missed FG

The Buffalo Bills appear to be losing both patience and confidence in kicker Tyler Bass.

During the Bills’ win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1, Bass went 2-for-2 on field goals, however, both were under 40 yards. Bass made a 43-yard field goal against the Miami Dolphins in Week 2, but his miss from 45 yards in the fourth quarter flew so far to the left that numerous viewers thought it was blocked.

While Buffalo defeated Miami 31-10, Bills head coach Sean McDermott started mulling over reinforcements two days later. On Tuesday, September 17,  Anders Carlson and Cade York worked out with the Bills. While neither Carlson or York stand out as better options, bringing them in immediately turned some heads.

The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia posted, “I would say this is noteworthy from a Bills perspective. If they get concerned about Tyler Bass the next move is probably signing a K to the practice squad. Bass has hit all of his XP attempts and all but one of his FG attempts, but it was a bad miss in a non-pressure situation.”

A lot has changed since Buffalo signed Bass to a four-year, $21 million extension in April 2023. Last season, Bass connected on just 82.8% of his field goals. During the playoffs, he went 2-of-5, including a 27-yarder that went far left during the AFC Wild Card game.

During the Bills’ 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional round in January, Bass missed the game-tying 44-yard field goal with 1:43 left in regulation. The ball swung wide right.

Bills Kicker Tyler Bass Struggled During the Preseason

 

Bass isn’t in the hot seat just because of one bad missed field goal. While McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane expressed confidence in Bass turning things around this season, between the final week of practice and last preseason matchup, he completed just 5-of-12 field goal attempts from 40 yards or beyond, per The Athletic’s Tim Graham.

During the Bills’ final preseason game against the Carolina Panthers on August 24, Bass missed his 51-yard attempt during the 31-26 loss. “Those are ones he’s got to make. He knows that,” McDermott told reporters afterward. “Looked like it faded a little bit to the right there. That’s a kick he’s going to practice a million times this week. That’s one we’ve got to have.”

Bills News: Tyler Bass’ Massive Contract Makes Cutting Him a Difficult Choice

The Bills hope that Bass will return to form more than anything, as cutting him will cost the team millions. If Buffalo released Bass, they would have a dead cap of $7.38 million. Beane likely wants to avoid such a big hit after the Bills ate $31 million in dead money and took a $4 million cap hit to part ways with Stefon Diggs this offseason.

If the Bills are able to find a trade partner for Bass, which seems unlikely should his inconsistencies continue, the new team takes on his $2.8 million salary in 2024. If Bill release him after the season ends, the dead cap drops to just over $3 million.

While the financial hit of cutting Bass is frustrating, if you can’t trust your kicker to help you win football games then it’s time to say goodbye.