For several years now, the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres have paid former players yearly fees in exchange for attending public events and interacting with fans. It seems that model is changing, and not necessarily because of the global pandemic.
Tim Graham of The Athletic reports Bills players Thurman Thomas and Darryl Talley were told months ago their contracts with the organization weren’t being renewed. The contracts for legends appearances had ranged from $50,000 to $100,000 a year, per Graham’s reporting. Jim Kelly is still under contract for the 2020 to this point as the highest-profile former Bills player, but even he admits the other show could drop at any point.