The Bills did not place the franchise tag on safety Jairus Byrd, electing to instead sign safety Aaron Williams to a long-term contract. However, Williams says that Byrd still wants to return to the Bills, writes Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk.
Williams said that the two safeties have a great friendship and talk all the time. Byrd and the Bills are still able to come to an agreement on a deal to keep him in Buffalo for a long time.
Here are some other free agency notes from around the AFC East:
- While Byrd is thought of as the best safety in this free agency class by most fans and pundits (including our own Luke Adams), Bill Polian of ESPN took a contrarian stance. Polian listed Byrd as the third best safety available, after Antoine Bethea and Chris Clemons (oddly, he does not list T.J. Ward as a safety, but instead as a defensive back). Polian’s reasoning is that Byrd is a “speed-deficient safety.”
- The Jets are interested in free agent cornerback Alterraun Verner, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post.
- Dolphins‘ general manager Dennis Hickey has a plan for rebuilding the team’s offensive line, and the top two targets will be Branden Albert and Rodger Saffold, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The team has also expressed interest in Eugene Monroe and Jared Veldheer.