One of the biggest questions surrounding the Buffalo Bills this offseason is the future of 2021 All-Pro safety Jordan Poyer.

While the assumption has remained he'll leave to play elsewhere, he himself hasn't ruled out the possibility of returning with the Bills (although he recently discussed New York state taxes and sunlight playing a part in his future decisions).

If the Bills and Poyer are to stick together though, it'll likely have to be through the use of the franchise tag. And time is clearly running out on that side of things.

NFL teams have until March 7th to designate franchise or transition players at 4 p.m. New York times.

The franchise tag would cost the Bills $14.46 million if they use it on Poyer as that's the league-wide pricetag to tag safeties.

The real reason why the Bills are unlikely to tag Poyer

While the salary cap is clearly an issue for Buffalo, where there's a will, there's a way when it comes to the league's accounting.

The Bills could still manipulate the salary cap significantly enough to open up enough cap space.

But chances are the team's priorities are set elsewhere cashwise. The team has spent the second-most around the NFL since 2021.

"The Bills, Jaguars, and Browns all look like teams that spent a lot in 2021 and 2022 with the expectation to cut back in 2023," wrote Jason Fitzgerald in Over The Cap.

"I do believe the Bills will fit that mold this year and you will see more of a purge of the roster with a focus on finding low-cost talent rather than the shortsighted Von Miller-type signings," added the salary cap expert.

That probably doesn't mean the Bills won't sign anybody but they'll have to be extra careful with their priorities.

Perhaps it's in the team's best interest to take care of other needs like the ones at WR and the offensive line.

They say that deadlines make deals. But that doesn't seem to be the case for Poyer and the Bills.

Featured image via Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports