Bills sign center Mitch Morse to two-year contract extension

As part of a restructured contract with the Buffalo Bills, Morse took a $2 million pay cut prior to the start of free agency in 2021. 

Fast forward to Monday, and the exact opposite was true: Morse signed a two-year contract extension with the Bills that takes him through the 2024 season and gives him a nice boost in pay this year. In what was to be the final year of his contract, Morse's compensation was scheduled to be $8.5 million. Instead, he'll bring home $11.25 million. 

"To be honest, at that point last year, I decided just to take my hands off the wheel, focus on football and let the chips fall where they may, whether that be riding the rest of this contract out or any other option," he said in a video conference Monday. "I was very into feeling very fortunate to be in this position today. I would be lying to you if I said that I saw this happening a year ago."

Morse said there was no animosity last season when the team approached him about taking a pay cut. His previous contract was front loaded, and Morse was aware the Bills needed cap space. Nevertheless, whenever a player takes a pay cut, it's natural that speculation about his long-term future with a team will pick up steam.

"I mean, I wasn't naive, right? I had no more guarantees," Morse said. "Both parties came together and they found a place. You know, the old saying is if both parties are uncomfortable, that usually means it's a good contract, right? I think after last year, I learned just to enjoy the moment. None of this is guaranteed. That's just the truth of it all. In this league or in this business, and also nothing is personal.

"So, no, I didn't expect this to come down the pipe here this time last year. Very fortunate, but this kind of shows how this game, it has ebbs and flows, and how people's careers and stuff, you kind of have to go with that. It's a testament to the guys in the group and the front office for believing in me, and that's very much appreciated.

In keeping the anchor of their offensive line around for at least two more years, the Bills also reduced his salary cap charge for the coming season to $9 million, a savings of $2.25 million from the $11.25 million he was scheduled to count for.

Morse, who turns 30 next month, has started 47 of a possible 49 games in the regular season in his three years with the Bills, and all six postseason games in that time. He started all 19 games last year, playing 97% of the snaps in the regular season. At the time he signed his four-year contract with the Bills in 2019, Morse was briefly the highest-paid center in the NFL, although he was quickly passed on that list. 

Currently, he ranks ninth among all centers in terms of cap hit for the 2022 season, according to contracts website Spotrac.com. Morse ranked 18th out of 26 centers who played at least 746 offensive snaps last season, according to analytics website Pro Football Focus, with an overall grade of 63.4. His pass-blocking grade of 71.8 ranked eighth, but his run-blocking grade of 58.8 was 20th.

Discussions on the extension heated up in recent days. 

"I feel like for me as a center, I judge (his individual performance) on how it helps the rest of the guys around me," Morse said. "I feel like last year I was able to take a step in the right direction with communication, dialogue with the quarterback, dialogue with the offense, just kind of being able to see stuff going on. So in that regard, it felt like a much-improved season. I think playing wise, just availability was a big thing, always something you strive for as a player. You can't predict everything, but you can try to mitigate any factors that remove you from the field. So I mean, in that regard, it's also great.

"We're just trying to take that next step not only as a team, but I think as a player, I feel like there's a lot I left on the field, and I'm looking forward to trying to narrow that gap."

As part of his new contract, Morse received a $7.5 million signing bonus, and has base salaries of $3.14 million, $6.64 million and $6.89 million. He has $1 million roster bonuses due on the fifth day of the league year for both the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Additionally, he has per-game roster bonuses of up to $510,000 ($30,000 per game) and a workout bonus of $100,000 in each of the three years of his contract. His cap hits the next two years are $10.75 million and $11 million, respectively.

His cap hit for 2022 also takes into account $2.75 million from his contract signed in 2019.

Morse's base salary for 2022 is guaranteed, while $1.36 million of his 2023 salary is guaranteed for injury only right now. It fully guarantees if he's on the roster on the fifth day of the 2023 season.

The contract provides some flexibility for the Bills. If they were to move on from Morse after this season, it would cost them $5 million in "dead money" on the cap, but they would save $5.75 million in space.

"For me personally, I'd love to retire in a Buffalo Bills uniform, and this gave me an opportunity to continue playing," he said. "I think both sides mutually came to a point where they were happy with the deal and then excited. We're elated as a family, we're thrilled and we're looking forward to this next step as a team and as a family."