The Bills announced the release of guard Quinton Spain on Wednesday. Spain joined the Bills as an unrestricted free agent in 2019. He started all 16 games in 2019 at guard and started two of four games in 2020.
He is in his sixth NFL season and signed a three-year extension with the team in 2020. He spent his first four NFL seasons with Tennessee after joining the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2015.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane explained after conversations with Spain and his representatives, it was best to let him move on.
"Quinton's a good person, it was nothing like that," Beane said. "Last year, he started 17 games for us counting the playoff game. We re-signed him after the offseason, but every team's a new team, every year's a new year and here we're all about competition. Nothing's guaranteed by where you're drafted or how much you make, not that Quinton expected it to be handed to him.
"I think the other thing that complicated this was we had no preseason, and with the competition we had it became hard for the coaches to evaluate who's our top five. So we're trying to figure out the best way to do that, that's why the first couple games we subbed some different guys in and tried to make an early evaluation and then stick with it. I think there was a, 'Maybe something happened?' It was nothing that happened. The more we talked about it, we just thought it was best after talking to him and his representatives to let him move on. We wish him the best."
