By Tim Graham
In less than two years, pass-rusher Shawne Merriman played five games for the Buffalo Bills and never got to do this Lights Out dance. He recorded one sack, the closest defender when Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton ran out of bounds.
The Bills cut Merriman this morning. We'll get their reasons when Bills coach Chan Gailey holds his regularly scheduled news conference later today. We also might hear from General Manager Buddy Nix.
In the meantime, let's take a look at the money the Bills paid Merriman since they claimed him off waivers in November 2010.
NFL Players Association documentation puts the total price tag at $9.77 million.
The breakdown:
$3.27 million pro rated salary for 2010
$1.5 million signing bonus for two-year extension in January 2011
$500,000 roster bonus for 2011
$500,000 workout bonus for 2011
$2.75 million base salary for 2011
$1 million roster bonus for 2012
$250,000 workout bonus for 2012
Merriman would've been due a base salary of $4 million for this season, with $3 million of that guaranteed if he had been released before the season began because of injury or salary-cap reasons.
