Bills, Nyheim Hines in contract dispute after jet ski accident
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It always comes back to the money.
The Buffalo Bills and running back Nyheim Hines are at odds over how much he will be paid for the 2023 season after Hines recently suffered a season-ending knee injury while sitting on a stationary jet ski, according to Pro Football Talk.
Hines reworked his contract this offseason, agreeing to a two-year, $9 million deal, and was scheduled to make $2.56 million this season, but his off-the-field injury makes the contract voidable.
Hines’ injury requires surgery, according to NFL Network, and he is on the Reserve/NFI list.
The running back has received $600,000 of his $1 million signing bonus, but the Bills have proposed withholding the remaining $400,000, along with a $100,000 workout bonus Hines earned, according to PFT.
The dispute comes over how much the Bills should still pay Hines and whether Hines owes the team any money.
The Bills are open to paying Hines the practice squad minimum of $289,000, instead of the $500,000 he would have received with his full signing bonus and the workout bonus.
Buffalo can keep that money or seek the $1.5 million signing bonus allotment from Hines’ previous contract with the Colts, according to the report, which could potentially lead to a formal grievance from Hines.
The signing bonus addendum on Hines’ contract does not prohibit jet skiing, per the report, and Hines reportedly was docked when the collision happened.
With Hines under contract for 2024 with a base salary of $4.06 million – but a dead cap hit of just $500,000 – this process could influence whether Hines returns to the Bills next season.
Hines’ agent, Ed Wasielewski of EMG Sports, seemingly referenced the situation in a tweet Wednesday.
“Adversity reveals character. Everyone has a choice to treat others with respect and dignity,” Wasielewski tweeted. “It’s revealing when an employee is injured to see how a company takes care of its own. I will continue to believe that people will do the right thing when bad things happen to their own.”
The Bills acquired Hines from the Colts for a fifth-round pick and running back Zack Moss last season.
Hines famously returned two kickoffs for touchdowns at home against the New England Patriots in the team’s first game following Damar Hamlin suffering cardiac arrest against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17.
Hines averaged 29.2 yards per kickoff return and 9.6 yards per punt return spanning nine games with the Bills last season, and tallied six rushes for -3 yards while catching five passes for 53 yards and one score.
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