Bills Had Interest In Rob Gronkowski
The first free agency of Rob Gronkowski‘s legendary career was brief, as he was quickly re-signed by the Buccaneers on Monday. But that doesn’t mean Tampa Bay was the only option on his list, as Bills GM Brandon Beane confirmed Thursday his team had interest in the tight end.
“We spoke to his rep about him…we never made an official offer…I think there was some interest but at the end of the day, it would have been an upset for him to leave Tom Brady,” Beane said, via this tweet from Mike Giradi of NFL Network. It sounds like Buffalo expressed some interest early on but got told by his agent he was likely headed back to the Bucs and backed off.
It all makes plenty of sense because Gronk has long said the only reason he came out of retirement in the first place was to play with Brady again. Tampa also just won the Super Bowl and gave him an $8MM contract worth up to $10MM, so there’s not really any reason for him to switch things up.
Still, the thought of Gronkowski playing in Buffalo is cool. It would’ve been a homecoming for the future Hall of Famer, as he was born just 15 minutes outside of Buffalo and grew up in upstate New York. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. The former Patriot played in all 16 games last year, finishing with 623 yards and seven touchdowns.
Bills, Mitchell Trubisky Agree To Deal
Mitchell Trubisky found a landing spot, and it will not give him a chance to start in 2021 (barring injury). The former Bears quarterback intends to sign with the Bills, Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com report (on Twitter). The Bills have announced the signing. It’s a one-year deal worth $2.5MM, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
The former No. 2 overall pick will be set to back up Josh Allen in Buffalo. This marks the latest in a slew of bridge- or backup-level quarterback signings this week, and it will end Trubisky’s scrutinized four-year tenure in Chicago. It is a one-year agreement, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
A Cleveland-area native, Trubisky will return to the shores of Lake Erie in an effort to stabilize his career. While the Bears did advance to the playoffs in two of the maligned passer’s four seasons, Trubisky’s Chicago tenure veered off course quickly. The one-year North Carolina starter showed early in his run he was incapable of playing on the level of fellow 2017 first-round QBs Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. The Bears used Trubisky as a starter for most of his four seasons with the team but have since signed Andy Dalton.
This will put Trubisky ahead of another quarterback who has seen his value drop, with Jake Fromm now having a more difficult path to becoming Allen’s top backup. Once rumored as a first-round pick, the ex-Georgia passer went in the 2020 fifth round. Fromm now projects as Buffalo’s third-stringer again. Previous Bills backup Matt Barkley is a free agent.
The Bears, who traded up for Trubisky four years ago, turned to him as their Week 1 starter again in 2020. But Matt Nagy benched him in Week 3. However, Nagy reinstalled Trubisky as his QB1 after Nick Foles then struggled and suffered an injury. Trubisky helped the Bears beat some sub-.500 opposition down the stretch, but that run was good enough to lift the team to the postseason for the second time in three years. Trubisky, his Nickelodeon MVP award notwithstanding, struggled in a one-sided loss to the Saints. He will attempt to regroup behind Allen in Buffalo.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/17/21
Today’s the deadline for teams to extend tender offers to their restricted free agents and exclusive rights free agents. We’ll keep tabs on the latest here:
RFAs
Tendered:
- Bills: G Ike Boettger
- Chiefs: WR Byron Pringle
- Texans: DE P.J. Hall, S A.J. Moore
Non-Tendered:
- Bears: K Eddy Pineiro
- Giants: LB Devante Downs
- Texans: S Geno Stone
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Chiefs: TE Nick Keizer
- Jets: WR Jeff Smith
Non-Tendered:
- .
Bills Trade TE Lee Smith To Falcons
The Bills are trading veteran tight end Lee Smith to the Falcons, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Buffalo will get a 2022 late-round selection in the swap.
Smith signed a three-year, $9MM pact with the Bills in May 2019, but that deal was heavily front-loaded. Today’s trade leaves no dead money on Buffalo’s books and will clear $2.25MM in cap space. Smith was due a $250K roster bonus on March 21, as Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic tweets.
Now 33, Smith has caught just 64 passes for 458 yards over his 10-year career. But his blocking ability has allowed him to stick in the pros for as long as he has, and he will now take those skills to Atlanta. He will likely serve as a replacement for Luke Stocker, another veteran TE known more for his blocking prowess than his receiving talents.
Smith joins Hayden Hurst and Jaeden Graham in the Falcons’ TE room. He is due a $1.9MM salary in 2021.
Bills To Sign WR Emmanuel Sanders
7:05pm: Sanders is indeed joining the Bills. Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the veteran wideout will be signing a one-year deal with Buffalo. Sanders is set to fly to Buffalo on Thursday after he’s officially released by the Saints, at which time he’ll take a physical and finalize his deal. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the one-year deal is worth $6MM, including an additional $500K in incentives.
6:23pm: It sounds like Emmanuel Sanders could be heading to Buffalo. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the Bills are in “serious talks” with the veteran free agent wideout.
As Pelissero notes, the Saints have yet to release Sanders, with that transaction expected to take place after 4pm tomorrow due to cap reasons. However, it’s been almost a week since we heard of New Orleans’ intent to cut the veteran, and the team formally announced the impending transaction today.
Sanders joined the Saints on a two-year, $16MM last offseason. The veteran went on to notch 61 catches for 726 yards and five touchdowns during his first season in the NFC. Even though he was productive, he was less efficient on a per-catch basis than usual; his 11.9 ypc average was among the lowest of his career and well below his finest work in Denver.
It’s been a while since Sanders was a 1,000-yard receiver, a mark he exceeded with the Broncos each season between 2014 and 2016. Since 2017, the veteran has averaged 754.5 yards per season, making him a serviceable second or third wideout on the depth chart.
That would presumably be his role in Buffalo. Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley are Josh Allen‘s top two targets, but following John Brown‘s release, the team is presumably seeking a third receiver who can compete with the likes of Gabriel Davis for targets.
Contract Details: Patriots, Moseley, Golden, Bills, Hyde
Some assorted contract details from around the NFL:
- LB Matt Judon, Patriots: $18MM signing bonus. Salaries: $1MM (2021), $11MM (2022), $11MM (2023), $9.5MM (2024). Up to $1MM in per-game roster bonuses, $500K All-Pro incentive between 2022 and 2024. Via ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter.
- TE Jonnu Smith, Patriots: $15MM signing bonus. Salaries: $1MM (2021), $9MM (2022), $10MM (2023), $11MM (2024). Up to $1MM in per-game roster bonuses. Via Yates on Twitter.
- CB Emmanuel Moseley, 49ers: $500K per-game active roster bonus in 2022. Up to $750K play-time base salary escalator in 2022. Via Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson on Twitter.
- LB Markus Golden, Cardinals: two years, $5MM, $2.5MM guaranteed. $1.5MM signing bonus. Salaries: $1MM (2021, guaranteed), $2MM (2022). Up to $250K in annual per-game roster bonuses, up to $2MM in annual sack incentives. Via Wilson on Twitter.
- OT Daryl Williams, Bills: $13.75MM guaranteed, $5.4MM signing bonus. Salaries: $1MM (2021), $6.725MM (2022), $5.475MM (2023). $3MM roster bonus in 2021, $1.25MM roster bonus in 2023. Per-game roster bonuses: $250K (2021), $300K (2022-2023). $100K annual workout bonuses. $2.2MM in additional annual incentives. Via Yates on Twitter.
- RB Carlos Hyde, Jaguars: Two years, $4.5MM. $1.25MM base salary in 2021 is fully guaranteed. $900K signing bonus. Via TheMMQB’s Albert Breer on Twitter.
Bills To Sign P Matt Haack
Matt Haack is sticking around the AFC East. The Bills have signed the former Dolphins punter, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).
The 26-year-old punter had spent his entire career with the Dolphins. Haack entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Arizona State in 2017, and he was immediately handed the starting gig in Miami. Haack ended up with 307 punts during his tenure with the Dolphins, averaging 44.7 yards per attempt. He’s hit at least a 60-yarder in each of his four seasons.
Haack will presumably snag the role that was previously held by Corey Bojorquez. It seemed like the 24-year-old’s stint with Buffalo may be coming to an end when we learned of the Bills’ interest in veteran Michael Palardy earlier this month.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/15/21
We’ve compiled a handful of tender decisions below:
- The Cardinals are tendering linebacker Dennis Gardeck at a second-round value, which is worth around $3.38MM. The former undrafted free agent has spent his entire three-year career with Arizona, primarily appearing on special teams. However, the 26-year-old took on a bigger defensive role in 2020, finished with seven sacks in only 93 snaps. Gardeck tore his ACL late in the season, so his status for 2021 is in doubt.
- The Chargers won’t be tendering defensive end Isaac Rochell, which comes as a bit of a surprise. The 25-year-old had a solid season for Los Angeles, starting six games while compiling 29 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Rochell has 9.5 career sacks and 12 QB hits in 51 career games.
- The Packers have tendered wideout Malik Taylor, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). After spending much of his rookie season on Green Bay’s practice squad, Taylor managed to appear in 15 games for the Packers this past season. He ultimately hauled in five receptions for 66 yards and one touchdown. He also returned a pair of kicks and compiled three tackles.
- The Bills won’t be tendering cornerback Levi Wallace, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter). However, there’s still a chance the 25-year-old lands back in Buffalo. The cornerback has started 28 games for Buffalo over the past two years, compiling four interceptions and 17 passes defended.
- The Cowboys are tendering wideout Cedrick Wilson and nose tackle Antwaun Woods. Wilson has appeared in 22 games over the past two years, compiling 25 touches for 223 yards from scrimmage. Woods has started 32 of his 39 games for Dallas over the past three years, compiling 80, four tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks.
Bills Re-Sign OL Jon Feliciano
Ahead of the start of free agency, the Bills are locking up another one of their own guys. After extending Daryl Williams and Matt Milano this past week, Buffalo is now handing out a new contract to guard Jon Feliciano as well.
The Bills have signed Feliciano to a new three-year pact, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com confirmed on Twitter. The news was first tweeted by Matt Parrino of NewYorkUpstate.com. Schefter writes that the new pact is worth “up to” $17MM, so you’ll have to stay tuned for the details on that.
As Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, the Bills now have 19 of their 22 starters from last year’s AFC Championship Game under contract for 2021, and two others are restricted free agents. A fourth-round pick of the Raiders in 2015, Feliciano spent the first four years of his career in Oakland.
The Miami product signed a two-year, $8MM pact with the Bills in March of 2019. He never started more than four games in a season for the Raiders, but started all 16 in his first year in Buffalo. Injuries limited him to nine games this past season, but he started all of them.
He’s not a Pro Bowler, but he’s been a solid enough starter the past couple of years. No matter what, Josh Allen will have a lot of continuity around him on offense heading into his fourth season.
Bills Re-Sign Daryl Williams
The Bills have agreed to a new three-year deal with offensive tackle Daryl Williams, per a club announcement. The pact will be worth $28.2MM in total with nearly $14MM guaranteed (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
The Bills inked Williams to a one-year prove-it deal last year. He proved it. The 28-year-old started all 16 games — plus two playoff games — helping to protect Josh Allen and powering Buffalo’s offense.
Williams, 28, spent the early part of his career with the Panthers. In 2019, his final Carolina season, he moved all across front five and spent more time on the interior than on the outside. Pro Football Focus graded him 57th out of 80 qualifiers as a guard, but his best work has always been at tackle.
In 2020, the former fourth-round pick graded out as PFF’s No. 21 ranked tackle in the NFL, putting him ahead of names like Orlando Brown Jr., Jake Matthews, Laremy Tunsil, and Alejandro Villanueva. Now, the six-year vet has a lucrative new deal that will tie him to the Bills through 2023.