HEADLINES

Buffalo Bills News & Rumors

Franchise Tag In Play For Jordan Phillips?

February 15th, 2020 at 3:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

An interesting name has surfaced as a possible franchise tag candidate — one that appeared on the waiver wire during the 2018 season.

The Bills drafted Ed Oliver at No. 9 overall last year, have promising 2018 third-rounder Harrison Phillips coming back from injury and are set to retain Star Lotulelei for a third season. Nevertheless, teams are expecting the Bills to tag defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, according to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora.

That scenario would represent a remarkable rise for the elder of the Bills’ two D-line Phillipses. Buffalo claimed the former second-round pick off waivers from Miami in 2018. A key cog in the Bills’ top-tier pass defense, Jordan Phillips registered 9.5 sacks last season — nearly twice as many as he collected from 2016-18. Phillips also recorded 16 quarterback hits but graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 103 interior defenders (out of 113 full-time players).

The 6-foot-6, 341-pound defender would collect approximately $16.7MM on a franchise tag in advance of his age-28 season. That would be a significant raise for the part-time starter, who signed a one-year, $4.5MM deal in March 2019 to stay with the Bills.

While the Bills have several notable investments at defensive tackle, they do possess plenty of cap space to afford a tag. Buffalo is projected to hold more than $82MM in space — third-most in the league. Should the Bills tag Phillips, it would give them a deep stable of interior defenders and further illuminate the need for an outside pass rusher. Shaq Lawson is a free agent, and Trent Murphy has not exceeded 10 QB hits in either of his two Bills seasons.

It would still be interesting to see Phillips’ name included with the likes of Chris Jones, Matt Judon or Yannick Ngakoue — all potential tag recipients. Those pass rushers will carry much greater name recognition going into the tag window. Teams can apply tags from Feb. 25-March 10.

Latest On Greg Olsen

February 14th, 2020 at 9:36am CST by Zachary Links

Greg Olsen‘s free agency tour has come to an end after three stops, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The tight end is currently in negotiations with the Bills, Redskins, and Seahawks, and he will not be meeting with any other teams. 

The Panthers parted ways with Olsen earlier this offseason in yet another signal that they are prepared for a total rebuild. This, of course, came weeks after the dismissal of longtime head coach Ron Rivera. Soon, the Panthers’ revamp may result in the release of one-time MVP quarterback Cam Newton.

Back to Olsen – the veteran has rebuffed numerous offers from multiple networks who are hoping to lure him into the broadcast booth. Instead, he’s intent on playing at least one more season in the NFL with an eye on contending for a championship. If winning is Olsen’s priority, one has to think that the Seahawks would be at the top of his wishlist.

The Bills and Redskins also hold appeal for Olsen, who will turn 35 in March. In Buffalo, Olsen could be a key part of the offense and siphon snaps from youngster Dawson Knox. With the Redskins, Olsen would get to rejoin longtime mentor Ron Rivera. Depending on how things shake out in D.C., it could even be a full-fledged reunion. The Redskins cut Josh Norman on Friday, but they could fill their void at cornerback by pivoting to James Bradberry, who spent the last four years in Carolina.

At this stage, Olsen is no longer a top-flight tight end. However, he was still reasonably productive last season and it’s clear that he still has some gas in the tank and fire in his belly. For his career, Olsen has notched 718 catches, 8,444 receiving yards and 59 touchdowns.

Bills, Star Lotulelei Agree On Restructure

February 11th, 2020 at 3:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Star Lotulelei signed a lucrative deal with the Bills in 2018. The veteran defensive tackle agreed Tuesday to restructure it.

The former Panthers first-round pick will see a $1.75MM reduction in his 2020 base salary in exchange for that figure — now set to be $4.50MM — becoming fully guaranteed, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This will essentially ensure Lotulelei remains with the Bills this season.

The sides also agreed on additional guarantees for the 2021 season. Lotulelei will receive an extra $2.5MM in injury guarantees for next year. His contract, which previously contained no guaranteed money beyond 2019, runs through the 2022 season. It will still tag the Bills with more than $5MM in dead money to release Lotulelei in 2021.

The Bills have used Lotulelei as a starter in each of the past two seasons, and even though Pro Football Focus has not viewed the nose tackle as particularly productive, the team has him stationed as one of its top 2020 cap figures. Lotulelei played 516 snaps this past season, recording two sacks.

Buffalo stands to gain minimally from this restructure, but the team is not exactly hurting for cap space. The Bills entered Tuesday projected to hold just more than $80MM in 2020 cap room.

Greg Olsen Expected To Sign With NFL Team This Week

February 10th, 2020 at 9:19am CST by Zachary Links

Greg Olsen is almost ready to make his free agent decision. By the end of the week, the tight end expects to choose his next NFL squad, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. 

Olsen kicked off his free agent tour by meeting with the Bills last week. Today, he’ll huddle up with the Redskins before moving on to the Seahawks on Wednesday.

It has been said that Olsen is also weighing a jump to broadcasting, but from the sound of it, the tight end will be staving off retirement for another offseason. Olsen has garnered lucrative offers from both ESPN and FOX over the years, so it stands to reason that those opportunities will be there waiting for him, whenever he’s ready to hang ’em up.

The Seahawks would probably represent Olsen’s best chance to win a Super Bowl ring, but the Bills and Redskins also have a lot to offer. With the Bills, Olsen would have an opportunity to pair with the young and promising Josh Allen and occupy a significant role in the offense. The Redskins, meanwhile, would allow him to reunite with Ron Rivera, the longtime Panthers coach that guided him to a streak of three 1,000-yard seasons and multiple Pro Bowl appearances.

Olsen, 35 in March, has notched 718 catches for 8,444 yards and 59 touchdowns over the course of his career. Last year, he had an uncharacteristically quiet season with the Panthers – 52 grabs, 597 yards, and just two touchdowns in 14 games.

Bills To Lose Assistant To 49ers

February 9th, 2020 at 9:50pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • The 49ers appear to have a replacement lined up. Aaron Whitecotton will join San Francisco’s defensive staff, per Marvez. A Bills assistant for three seasons, Whitecotton worked with 49ers DC Robert Saleh for four seasons in Jacksonville prior to relocating to Buffalo.

Redskins Visit Up Next For Greg Olsen

February 6th, 2020 at 9:16am CST by Zachary Links

Greg Olsen finished up his Bills visit on Thursday morning, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Olsen, who isn’t in any particular rush to sign, left without a deal. His next visit will be with the Redskins, followed by the Seahawks. 

The order of Olsen’s three visits may or may not be an indicator of his preference. The Bills would make some sense for Olsen – they’re not high on anyone’s list of Super Bowl contenders for 2020, but they do have a talented young quarterback in Josh Allen and Olsen could provide him with a better security blanket than rising NFL sophomore Dawson Knox.

Ditto for the Redskins – expectations aren’t high in D.C., but they would give Olsen an opportunity to reunite with old friend Ron Rivera. Of course, the two were together for years in Carolina, where Olsen went on a tear of three straight 1,000-yard seasons. No one knows what’s in store for Jordan Reed after a scary number of concussions; Olsen can help them fortify that position and possibly take over as the TE1, if needed.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, are in a better position to win right away. And, with serious uncertainty around their tight end situation, Olsen would be a logical fit. Will Dissly might not be 100% after his Achilles tear and Ed Dickson could be a cap casualty in the coming weeks. Beyond those two, Luke Willson is scheduled for free agency in March and Jacob Hollister will be a restricted free agent.

There will probably be more teams beyond those three with interest in Olsen. Earlier this week, Olsen said that he’d like to hear from the Bears – his first NFL team – but hasn’t been in touch with them since his release from the Panthers.

Greg Olsen To Visit Bills, Redskins

February 3rd, 2020 at 6:28pm CST by Rory Parks

That didn’t take long. Hours after Greg Olsen‘s release from the Panthers was made official, his free agency tour is taking shape. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, the veteran tight end will take visits with the Bills and Redskins this week (Twitter link).

Though it doesn’t guarantee anything, this development makes it sound as if Olsen will play in 2020 and will postpone his journey to the broadcast booth for at least another year. If he were to sign with Washington, Olsen would reunite with longtime Carolina head coach Ron Rivera, and recent rumors suggested that Olsen is indeed amenable to joining the ‘Skins.

Fresh off their second playoff appearance in three years, the Bills would appear to give Olsen a better chance at bringing home a championship ring in 2020. But both Buffalo and Washington are obvious fits for the 34-year-old (35 in March), as neither club got much production from the tight end position in 2019.

The Bills were paced by rookie Dawson Knox, who averaged just under 26 yards per game. Rookie tight ends rarely excel, and while the Bills surely expect Knox to take a step forward in 2020, Olsen would represent a reliable veteran target for QB Josh Allen.

The Redskins, meanwhile, lost Jordan Reed for the 2019 season due to yet another concussion, and they have a young quarterback of their own in Dwayne Haskins who would benefit from Olsen’s presence. But Olsen will likely generate more interest from other clubs before he decides to put pen to paper.

2020 Draft Order

February 3rd, 2020 at 2:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Super Bowl LIV is in the books, which means the order for the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft is set. By virtue of their 31-20 win Sunday night, the Chiefs will have the final pick in the first round. The 49ers dropping to 5-2 in Super Bowls will result in the NFC champions approaching the podium at No. 31.

Here is the full first-round order:

1. Bengals (2-14)

2. Redskins (3-13)

3. Lions (3-12-1)

4. Giants (4-12)

5 Dolphins (5-11)

6. Chargers (5-11)

7. Panthers (5-11)

8. Cardinals (5-10-1)

9. Jaguars (6-10)

10. Browns (6-10)

11. Jets (7-9)

12. Raiders (7-9)

13. Colts (7-9)

14. Buccaneers (7-9)

15. Broncos (7-9)

16. Falcons (7-9)

17. Cowboys (8-8)

18. Dolphins (via Steelers 8-8)

19. Raiders (via Bears 8-8)

20. Jaguars (via Rams 9-7)

21. Eagles (9-7)

22. Bills (10-6)

23. Patriots (12-4)

24. Saints (13-3)

25. Vikings (10-6)

26. Dolphins (via Texans 10-6)

27. Seahawks (11-5)

28. Ravens (14-2)

29. Titans (9-7)

30. Packers (13-3)

31. 49ers (13-3)

32. Chiefs (12-4)

Latest On Bills’ Future In Buffalo

February 2nd, 2020 at 8:34am CST by Rory Parks

The Bills will remain in Buffalo in 2020. There never seemed to be any notion that another outcome was on the table, but technically it was a possibility that the Bills could be playing elsewhere as soon as next season.

The team’s lease with New Era Field expires in July 2023, but the lease contains an early termination clause that the Bills could have exercised by February 28 of this year. If they had done so, the lease would have terminated on July 30, thereby making the club a geographic free agent.

Per Sandra Tan of the Buffalo News (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk), Erie County Executive Marc Poloncarz pressed Bills ownership for a commitment, and Terry and Kim Pegula informed Poloncarz on Friday that the team would not be exercising the early termination option. But the team’s future in western New York remains in doubt.

Last June, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made it very clear that the Pegulas will need to address the club’s stadium situation at some point in the near future to keep the Bills in Buffalo, and he reiterated those sentiments on Wednesday. Goodell said the Bills and the local government need to settle on an approach within the next several months, and he noted that the team’s stadium will need to remain competitive with other sites around the league.

The Pegulas have not yet wavered in their commitment to keeping the Bills where they have been since they joined the AFL in 1960, and they want to either renovate the current stadium — which opened in 1973 — or build a new one. They issued a statement on Wednesday indicating that a study into potential stadium sites, designs, and financial options had been completed, but it’s unclear if that study has pushed this matter any closer to a resolution.

Florio suggests that, the longer the Bills go without a long-term plan in place, the more offers will come flooding in from other cities anxious to get an NFL franchise. Those offers could be especially tempting to the Pegulas, who do not have the personal resources to fund a stadium themselves.

Toronto has long been rumored as a potential future home for the Bills, but when asked about the possibility of a team north of the border, Goodell reiterated his usual stance, saying that one of the foremost requirements is a stadium that meets NFL standards (Twitter link via Farhan Lalji of TSN).

Bills Deny Giants’ Request To Interview Brian Daboll

January 15th, 2020 at 9:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was “high atop” new Giants head coach Joe Judge‘s list of OC candidates when he took over in New York, but Buffalo denied Big Blue’s request to interview the longtime NFL coach, reports Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.

It’s no surprise the Bills didn’t allow to Daboll to speak with the Giants about what would have been a lateral move. Typically, clubs only allow their coaches to interview with other teams when a promotion is involved. And Daboll, who served as play-caller for the Browns, Dolphins, Chiefs, and the University of Alabama before landing in Buffalo, impressed enough in 2019 to warrant head coaching interest from Cleveland, is certainly a valuable commodity on Sean McDermott‘s Bills staff.

The Giants are clearly looking for an experienced offensive coordinator to pair with first-year coach Judge, who has never been an offensive nor defensive coordinator at any level. New York has already interviewed incumbent OC Mike Shula plus ex-Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, and is thought to also be interested in former Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens and ex-Dolphins OC Chad O’Shea.

Although the Bills ranked just 22nd in offensive DVOA a season ago, Daboll was lauded for running a creative offensive that utilized the strengths of 2018 first-round pick Josh Allen. In New York, Daboll would’ve been tasked with developing another first-rounder, 2019 No. 6 overall pick Daniel Jones.

Load More Posts