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2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker

August 5th, 2020 at 3:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Per an agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA, players with COVID-19 health concerns can opt out of the 2020 season. Initially, the deadline was believed to be Tuesday, August 4. Talks between the league and the union have pushed it to August 6.

Chiefs guard and medical school graduate Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was the first player to officially opt out. Scores of players followed.

Here’s the rundown, so far:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • T Brad Seaton

Tennessee Titans

  • OL Anthony McKinney

Washington Football Team

Free agents

Bills Adjust Stefon Diggs’ Contract

August 5th, 2020 at 2:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Four years remain on Stefon Diggs‘ contract, and the extension the former Vikings wideout agreed to in 2018 now profiles as a Bills-friendly deal. Buffalo, however, worked out an agreement that will pay Diggs more in 2020.

The Bills adjusted Diggs’ contract, with the main change being a $3.3MM 2020 bump, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Diggs will also see his 2021 guarantee spike by $7.7MM, with Garafolo adding that number now sits at $11MM. In tweaking Diggs’ deal, the Bills also decreased the contract’s 2022 and ’23 cash payouts by $3MM.

This restructure was not a Bills decision to help convince Diggs not to opt out this season, Garafolo adds (via Twitter), noting it came to pass in March shortly after Buffalo acquired Diggs from Minnesota.

Diggs said Wednesday he is not demanding a new deal from the Bills, indicating there is “no rush” on that at this point, per the Buffalo News’ Jay Skurski (on Twitter). It should be expected the Bills and Diggs will agree to a new contract at some point, but this adjustment may help delay that. The Bills saw $5.25MM in additional cap room open up after defensive tackle Star Lotulelei‘s opt-out decision.

The Vikings signed Diggs to a five-year, $72MM extension in July 2018. However, Diggs’ $14.4MM-per-year salary now ranks 13th among receivers. The Bills acquired Diggs for a trade package headlined by a first-round pick. Given the importance Diggs will play in the development of Buffalo franchise centerpiece Josh Allen, the sides will presumably huddle up about an extension in the not-too-distant future. For now, though, the Bills have their new No. 1 wide receiver locked up through 2023 on a manageable contract.

Bills’ Tre’Davious White Considering Opt Out

August 5th, 2020 at 11:14am CST by Zachary Links

Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White is giving some thought to opting out of the 2020 season (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Kim Jones). The star of Buffalo’s secondary has until 4pm ET/3pm CT to submit his decision in writing.

Roughly 60 NFL players have opted out of the season so far, including notables like Patriots inside linebacker Dont’a Hightower and Chiefs guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. The Bills have already watched cornerback E.J. Gaines and defensive tackle Star Lotulelei opt out – losing White would be the most devastating of the bunch.

Arriving in the trade that gave the Chiefs Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 draft, White has become one of the NFL’s premier defenders. The 2017 No. 27 overall selection picked off a league-high six passes last season, giving him a dozen interceptions through three seasons.

In April, the Bills picked up White’s fifth-year option, cuffing him through 2021 on a ~$10MM salary. If White backs out of playing this year, his low-cost 2020 salary will toll into 2021. Then, his $10MM salary will apply to 2022. Ultimately, it would be an expensive move for White, one that would delay extension talks and put him another year further from free agency.

When it comes time for White to negotiate his new deal, he’ll likely command something in the neighborhood of Byron Jones‘ $16.5MM average annual value. Right now, he’s got bigger fish to fry, and he only has a few hours to make his big decision.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/4/20

August 4th, 2020 at 6:51pm CST by Rory Parks

Here are today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Miami Dolphins

Philadelphia Eagles

Bills To Cut Spencer Long

August 4th, 2020 at 11:49am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills are cutting offensive lineman Spencer Long, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. With the release, the Bills will drop the final two years on his original three-year deal.

The move comes as a bit of a surprise. The Bills exercised their 2020 option on Long’s deal back in March and he could have been a fill-in for Jon Feliciano at right guard. Instead, they’ll save $2.4MM by dropping him and carry $700K in dead money.

Long saw time in 14 games for the Bills last year. Before that, Long made a total of 44 starts for the [Washington Football Team] and the Jets between 2014 and 2018. With the ability to play multiple spots on the interior line, it stands to reason that he’ll find work before the start of the season.

In the meantime, the Bills will deploy new pickup Brian Winters in Long’s place. Winters, another ex-Jet, served as the Jets’ starting right guard from 2013-2019.

Bills Sign OL Brian Winters

August 3rd, 2020 at 5:05pm CST by Ben Levine

It didn’t take long for Brian Winters to find a new gig. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the veteran offensive lineman has signed with the Bills. He’ll receive a one-year deal worth $3MM, including $2MM guaranteed.

Winters joins Buffalo after getting surprisingly cut by the rival Jets yesterday. The veteran had been the Jets’ starting right guard since 2013, but it was clear that Greg Van Roten had the inside track at the starting job. In an act of good faith, the Jets let go of Winters so he could find a starting gig elsewhere (as ESPN’s Rich Cimini passed along yesterday). Of course, the move also cleared more than $7MM on the Jets’ books.

Winters will have a good chance to start in Buffalo, especially following news that Jon Feliciano has been sidelined with a pectoral tear. Winters was limited to only nine games last season after suffering a shoulder injury, but he averaged 14.5 games per season between 2015 and 2018. While Buffalo could turn to the likes of Spencer Long or Daryl Williams to fill in for Feliciano, Winters’ experience and dependability will likely earn him the bulk of playing time.

Feliciano suffered a torn pectoral muscle and underwent surgery Friday, the team announced. Feliciano started in all 17 Bills games for the Bills last season. The former fourth-round pick will be a free agent in 2021.

Rapoport notes that Winters had a number of suitors, but the Bills moved quickly to sign the 29-year-old.

Bills Sign DB Akeem King, DT Niles Scott

August 2nd, 2020 at 3:46pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have signed defensive back Akeem King, per a club announcement. King will help bolster the team’s cornerback depth following E.J. Gaines‘ decision to opt out of the 2020 season.

[RELATED: 2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker]

King has spent the last two seasons with the Seahawks. Last year, he suited up in 13 games, including three starts, plus a fair amount of time on special teams. With good size and bulk for the cornerback position, King could be called upon to guard larger tight ends. If he makes the roster – and it seems likely that he will, given the loss of Gaines – he’ll slot somewhere alongside Tre’Davious White, Josh Norman, Taron Johnson, and Levi Wallace on the CB depth chart.

In addition to King, the Bills have also signed defensive tackle Niles Scott. Scott suited up in six games for the Bengals in 2018 but was off the field last year due to a foot injury.

Bills’ E.J. Gaines Opts Out Of 2020 Season

August 2nd, 2020 at 10:17am CST by Zachary Links

E.J. Gaines has opted out of the 2020 season, according to Bills GM Brandon Beane (Twitter link via Kim Jones of NFL.com). Gaines was set to play on his third Buffalo contract after rejoining the team in March. Now, the cornerback will have to wait until 2021 to make his return.

[RELATED: Bills Host DB Akeem King On Visit]

Gaines first hooked on with the Bills in 2017 and showed serious promise. He finished out as Pro Football Focus‘ No. 12 ranked cornerback and placed ninth in Football Outsiders’ success rate, despite being limited to just eleven games. He moved on to the Bills and, once again, he was bitten by the injury bug, seeing time in just six games in 2018. Gaines went back to Buffalo in 2019, only to reach an injury settlement with the team in August. Gaines has been in the league since 2014, but he’s appeared in just 43 games across four seasons.

This year, the 28-year-old was set to backstop Josh Norman and Tre’Davious White. Now, the Bills could use another CB, hence their recent meeting with former Seahawks defensive back Akeem King.

Upwards of 30 players have chosen to opt out of the 2020 season, as shown in PFR’s tracker. Meanwhile, the deadline date remains TBD.

Bills Host DB Akeem King On Visit

August 1st, 2020 at 2:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills are looking to add to their secondary. They hosted former Seahawks defender Akeem King on a visit late this week, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Under the current COVID-19-altered setup, teams are not permitted to host a free agent they are not giving serious consideration to signing. So the Bills appear to be prepared, depending on the results of King’s physical, to add a veteran to their secondary.

A 2015 seventh-round Falcons pick, King played 29 games for the Seahawks over the past two seasons. He started four of those but mostly served as a depth piece and a special-teamer. The 27-year-old DB did, however, play 25% of Seattle’s defensive snaps in 2019. King saw more time at safety last year. Pro Football Focus graded the San Jose State as a lower-middle-class player at that position in 2019, though King did not play enough snaps to qualify for full-time status.

Buffalo has one of the NFL’s best safety tandems, in Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. King also has cornerback experience. The Bills signed Josh Norman this year to potentially operate as their other boundary starter opposite Tre’Davious White. They also added E.J. Gaines to that group, which includes younger players Taron Johnson, Levi Wallace and Siran Neal.

Bills G Jon Feliciano Suffers Torn Pec

July 31st, 2020 at 4:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills may need to make a new plan at guard. One of their starters, Jon Feliciano, will be out for a lengthy stretch.

Feliciano suffered a torn pectoral muscle and underwent surgery Friday, the team announced. Feliciano started in all 17 Bills games for the Bills last season. The former fourth-round pick will be a free agent in 2021.

Buffalo revamped its offensive line last season and saw substantial improvement, and Feliciano was one of the new cogs responsible. Signed to a two-year, $7.25MM contract, the former Raiders backup operated as the Bills’ right guard. The Bills improved from 30th to 15th in Football Outsiders’ adjusted line yards metric from 2018-19. Pro Football Focus rated Feliciano as the better of Buffalo’s two guards, slotting him 38th and Spain 61st last season.

Feliciano, 28, appears an IR candidate. But the Bills have some interesting depth options. They re-signed left guard starter Quinton Spain and added former Panthers starter Daryl Williams, who saw time at guard last season after serving as Carolina’s right tackle in previous years. The Bills also have 2019 second-round pick Cody Ford. The Oklahoma product was part of a right tackle platoon with Ty Nsekhe last season, but he worked as a guard as well. Nsekhe remains on the roster.

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