Dane Jackson’s contract won’t stop Bills from doing more at cornerback

The Buffalo Bills aren’t paying Dane Jackson very much.

The Buffalo Bills didn’t go out of their way to sign cornerback Dane Jackson this offseason, and the contract numbers reflect that while he could be a starting CB in 2025, it’s just as likely he’s completely off the roster by September.

As we suspected, Jackson’s signing will not preclude other moves at the position opposite Christian Benford.

Coming off a two-year, $8 million deal for Jackson, his numbers are much more meager on this deal.

What is Dane Jackson’s contract with the Buffalo Bills?

Jackson signed a one-year deal worth a base of $1,337,500 with some incentives built in that could push it to nearly $2 million.

The Bills used the veteran salary benefit, according to Spotrac, to lower his salary cap number below that $1.34 million to just under $1.2 million.

How much money did the Bills guarantee for Dane Jackson?

Jackson’s signing bonus was $167,500 — the maximum allowed under the veteran salary benefit — and on top of that, Buffalo guaranteed $400,000 of his base salary. Total it up and it’s $567,500 in total guaranteed money for Jackson.

That guaranteed salary number isn’t coincidental, it’s roughly the amount a player with Jackson’s seniority would make on a team’s practice squad for the whole season. That makes it a mostly symbolic guarantee, since if he’s cut from Buffalo, he’ll end up making that on someone’s practice squad and the Bills won’t have to pay it.

How did the Bills manage the salary cap in the Dane Jackson deal?

Buffalo shaved just over $100,000 off his cap numbers with the veteran salary benefit. We have an in-depth explainer on the veteran salary benefit here.

If the Bills cut him, his salary guarantee would be offset if he lands on a practice squad or active roster, so Buffalo would get that salary cap relief as he’s paid by the new team.

What incentives are in Dane Jackson’s Bills contract?

There are two incentives in the Dane Jackson contract, and unlike most Brandon Beane contracts, there are no workout bonuses or per-game roster bonuses because that would mean they couldn’t use the veteran salary benefit.

Instead, Jackson has a playing time incentive that will be paid at the end of the season. If he plays 40% of the defensive snaps, he’ll make $150,00. That increased to $300,000 if he plays 60% of the defensive snaps. For reference, Jackson played 22.99% of Carolina’s snaps in 2024 and 43.19% of Buffalo’s snaps the year before.

Similarly, Jackson will receive $150,000 if he snags two interceptions and $300,000 if he hauls in three interceptions. He had one interception in 2020 and two in 2022.