Tyler Bass landed on injured reserve shortly before the beginning of the Bills’ season. The veteran kicker is ready to stay sidelined through the tip of the campaign without seeing any game time.
Head coach Sean McDermott said on Monday (via ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg) Bass recently underwent surgery. In consequence, his season has essentially come to an end. A lingering hip/groin issue has resulted on this absence, one which appears as if it would stretch through the playoffs.
As of October, McDermott was unsure of whether or not Bass would give you the option to suit up at any point in 2025. The team previously thought the ailment was improving, but in the long run surgery has been deemed essential. With the procedure having taken place, Bass will turn his attention to recovery in preparation for the 2026 season.
The 28-year-old has served as Buffalo’s kicker from 2020-24, missing just one game during that span. Bass’ field goal success rates have never topped the league, but they’ve remained consistent over the course of his profession. Overall, the previous sixth-rounder has connected on 84.5% of his field goal attempts and all but 10 of his 274 extra point tries. Bass is under contract through 2027 because of the $5.1MM-per-year extension he signed in 2023.
That pact doesn’t contain any remaining guarantees by way of base salary, nevertheless. Coming off a full season spent on the sidelines, it would be interesting to see if the Bills explore the opportunity of moving on from Bass (or at the least try and work out a pay cut agreement). In any case, his alternative might be counted on to proceed handling kicking duties the remainder of the best way.
Matt Prater has operated as Buffalo’s kicker all season. The 41-year-old has already missed three extra point attempts, but with respect to field goals he has gone 17-for-19. No indication has been made that McDermott and the Bills are searching for an alternative choice at this point, so it would be Prater tasked with continuing his performance down the stretch.