The domestic-violence allegation against Bills linebacker Von Miller, who is accused of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend, could end up being very expensive for him.
Miller has a salary of $17.145 million for 2024. Currently, all of it is guaranteed for injury. Of that amount, $10.71 million is fully guaranteed. The rest of it becomes fully guaranteed in March 2024.
Miller’s contract allows the Bills to void the guarantees if he is suspended under the Personal Conduct Policy.
From the team’s standpoint, time will be of the essence. The Bills need a suspension to be imposed before the 2024 season begins, so that the guarantees could be voided and, at the right time, Miller can be released.
Some will argue that the Bills should release Miller now, given the nature of the allegations. After all, that’s what they did with punter Matt Araiza after he was sued for rape in August 2022. If the Bills cut Miller before he is suspended, however, they’ll owe him the $10.71 million.
If/when Miller lands on paid leave, he’ll get the remainder of his 2023 base salary, which dropped to $1.3 million as part of a simple restructuring earlier this year. In turn, the Bills will avoid active roster bonuses in the amount of $15,000 per game.
Regardless of how things play out, the situation gives the Bills a potential out from Miller’s deal, if they want to save $17.145 million and move on — and if the NFL suspends him under the Personal Conduct Policy before the start of next season.
