It's somewhat amazing how many sports writers there are who still think that the real life NFL is just like how they played Madden when they were ten.
There were literally two articles today suggesting that the Bills could or even should restructure Allen and Edmunds' contracts for cap savings.
I mean, at least they know that the salary cap exists; but, apparently they don't know how rookie contracts work and they forgot to check on the details of those contracts.
Basically, under the CBA, there isn't much that teams can do to alter rookie deals. Every rookie gets a four year contract. There is also a fifth year option. The money that the players receive during the course of the rookie deal is pretty much determined by where they were drafted.
Allen and Edmunds are drafted in the same year and are both entering their fifth years of their rookie contract. The fifth year option has to be exercised by the team before the beginning of the fourth season. So, the Bills committed fully to the money being paid to Allen and Edmunds a year ago. Allen signed his massive extension last season; but, he's still on his rookie deal for this season.
Really, the primary reason for why they have rookie deals is to limit the amount of negotiating that can take place and prevent holdouts. Basically, the teams and the league didn't want another JaMarcus Russell situation.