Buffalo Bills center Eric Wood still on roster, does not retire

Buffalo Bills center Eric Wood was all set to retire on Monday.

Family, teammates and former teammates (including LeSean McCoy and Ryan Fitzpatrick), friends and team personnel had gathered to celebrate the longtime center's career, which was ending because of a neck injury.

After keeping those assembled waiting for nearly an hour, Wood appeared and read a statement that took about 90 seconds. He left the podium without taking any questions.

Wood said he still was on the Bills' roster and "looked forward to helping the team in some capacity."

"I have been informed that I am no longer able to play football with the neck injury. Even with further rehab and treatment a return is not possible," he said.

According to multiple reports, the reason for the awkward news conference is a result of salary cap issues Wood's retirement presents.

"We don't have any cap room right now," general manager Brandon Beane told ESPN. "He'll be on our roster for a while, until we figure things out. We'll get it worked out ... and we'll do it with the help of the league office and management council."

According to the Buffalo News, if the Bills place the nine-year veteran on the reserve/retired list before June 1, his cap number jumps from its current $8.625 million to $10.39 million.

The team can save about $400,000 if it waits until after June 1 to place him on the reserve/retired list.