Isaiah McKenzie's two-year extension with the Buffalo Bills serves as a good reminder that things aren't always what they seem when it comes to NFL contracts this time of year.
On Sunday night, McKenzie's deal was reported as being worth up to $8 million. Upon closer examination, however, it comes in a lot smaller than that. According to documents obtained Monday by The Buffalo News, McKenzie's deal is worth $4.4 million.
It includes a $600,000 signing bonus, and base salaries of $1.35 million in 2022 (of which $650,000 is guaranteed) and $1.75 million in 2023. Additionally, McKenzie can earn a workout bonus of $100,000 in each year of the deal and per-game roster bonuses of up to $125,000 in each season. He also has a $250,000 roster bonus due on the fifth day of the 2023 league year. His cap hits are $1.875 million in 2022 and $2.525 million in 2023. If McKenzie didn't make the team in 2022, his cap hit would be $1.25 million in "dead money." If he was cut after the 2022 season, the Bills would be on the hook for just $300,000 in dead money on the 2023 salary cap.
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McKenzie, who joked last year about coming back to Buffalo just for candy, seems fine is the numbers are lower than the public initially expected. The 26-year-old wide receiver cared more about making sure he stayed in Buffalo, even without truly testing free agency.
“I really wanted to be here,” he said Monday. “Had the agent talk, and Beane, and all the people that were involved, they got it done. I was excited about it. So it didn’t take much for me to come back, I really like being here. I really like being on this team – the locker room, guys, coaching staff, everybody in the organization. I love being here, so it wasn’t that hard.”
McKenzie also has the chance to earn up to $1.8 million in bonuses for catches, receiving yards, punt-return average, kickoff-return average and touchdowns.
McKenzie had an up-and-down 2021 season with the Bills. He won the kick- and punt-returner jobs coming out of training camp, but a costly fumble against Indianapolis on a kick return in a Week 11 loss led to him being benched for the next two games. He returned to the lineup in Week 14 against Tampa Bay, but his moment in the spotlight would come two weeks later. With slot receiver Cole Beasley out of the lineup after testing positive for Covid-19, McKenzie played 67 offensive snaps – 85% of the team total – in a must-win game over the New England Patriots. McKenzie made the most of the opportunity, finishing with 11 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown in a win that regained control of the AFC East for the Bills.
“Just coming in and doing my job, I felt like last year I had some ups and downs. Had some great plays, had some bad plays, some horrible plays but at the end of the day, I overcame those obstacles, good or bad,” McKenzie said. “I learned from those situations that were presented.”
While he’s spoken to new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, the two didn’t get too specific about what McKenzie’s role will be moving forward.
“I spoke to him briefly, but we haven't spoken about that,” McKenzie said. “But I'm pretty sure things will fall into place. I'm gonna just take advantage of my opportunities when I get them.”
Entering free agency, the Bills wide receiver room had the potential for a lot of change. The Bills re-signed Jake Kumerow to a one-year deal last Thursday, and re-signed McKenzie Sunday.
It remains to be seen what happens with Emmanuel Sanders, an unrestricted free agent, and Cole Beasley, who was granted permission to seek a trade.
After Diggs’ 1225 receiving yards, Beasley (693) and Sanders (626) had the second- and third-most receiving yards on the Bills. Still, even if neither of those two veterans return to Buffalo, McKenzie feels confident in the group moving forward.
“We’ve got a great receiver corps, and whatever happens with the receiver corps, I feel like we still have stability,” McKenzie said. “We’ve got Diggs, we got myself, we got Gabe Davis and everything like that. I don’t know (Beasley’s) situation, but I feel like we still have our guys, we still have to go out there and play hard and do a lot of good things.
“From what I saw these last two years, we’ve got a chance, and with Josh (Allen) throwing the ball, anything can happen.”
McKenzie wanted the chance to build off last year with teammates he considers close friends. Ultimately, that made the decision easy.
“For me and my life, it’s always been about loyalty,” McKenzie said. “I’ve had the same trainer since 9th grade, I’ve had the same friends since five years old. For me, it’s about loyalty. And the Buffalo Bills have been loyal to me, and I want to stay loyal to them.”
