Bills Host Jake Fisher
- Free agent Jake Fisher will work out as a tight end for the Bills on Thursday, tweets John Keim of ESPN.com. A second-round pick of the Bengals as an offensive tackle in 2015, Fisher is now attempting to convert to a skill position, and is reportedly down to 285 pounds. Fisher, who played tight end in high school, has been limited by injuries and ineffectiveness throughout his career, and has started just 12 games in four years. He’s also auditioned for the Texans and Redskins.
Bills Remain Interested In Ziggy Ansah
The Bills have three defensive ends set to return from last year’s team, but there’s still room for more help on the edge. The Bills recently met with Ezekiel Ansah and GM Brandon Beane says they’re still interested. 
“We had a great visit with Ziggy and he’s a great young man,” Beane said on WGR 550 (via Matt Parrino of New York Upstate). “He had a tough shoulder injury last year and he’s still rehabbing that. I know he went on a couple other visits, or at least one other that I’m aware of. We had great talks with him and his agent. It’s kind of just at a standstill right now but it doesn’t mean it will or it won’t happen. We’ll see going forward and we’ll stay in touch with him and his representatives.”
Whether Ansah signs with the Bills or not, Beane seems to be leaning toward adding more talent on the d-line either in free agency or the NFL Draft next month.
Ansah has talent and question marks in equal measure. After shoulder surgery, Ansah appeared in just seven games for the Lions last year. However, he has two 12+ sack seasons to his credit, with the most recent one coming in 2017.
The Bills’ interest makes sense, though it’ll likely come down to cost. More specifically, the Bills would probably aim for a deal that has a modest base salary, affording them some protection in the event of another injury.
Regardless of what happens with Ansah, it sounds like the Bills are keen on adding edge rushers in April’s draft.
“There’s a couple guys out there (on the free agent market) but we’re mainly in a holding pattern there,” Beane said. “I don’t know that there’s a guy out there that we would probably jump on before the draft. But depending on what we land in the draft maybe there’s some guys that we pursue after that separate of Ziggy, whether we go after him or not.”
Contract Details: Nsekhe, Anderson, Dorsett
Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed NFL contracts:
- Ty Nsekhe, T (Bills): Two years, $9MM. $6.7MM guaranteed. $2MM signing bonus. $1.5MM available annually in playtime incentives. $1.5MM playtime escalator in 2020 (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
- Henry Anderson, DL (Jets): Three years, $25.2MM. $17MM guaranteed. $1.75MM available via annual incentives. $850K sacks-based escalator in 2020 and 2021 (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Phillip Dorsett, WR (Patriots): One year, $2.6MM. $500K signing bonus. $600K in per-game roster bonuses (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com).
- Ereck Flowers, T (Redskins): One year, $3.25MM. $1.5MM guaranteed. $750K in playtime incentive (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com).
- Mike Iupati, G (Seahawks): One year, $2.75MM. $2.25MM guaranteed. $1.25MM signing bonus. $500K in per-game roster bonuses. $500K available via playtime incentives (Twitter link via Brady Henderson of ESPN.com).
- Terrence Brooks, S (Patriots): Two years, $3.25MM. $1.305MM guaranteed. $500K signing bonus. Playtime bonuses available in 2019 and 2020 (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Jordan Matthews, WR (49ers): One year, $1.8MM. $300K signing bonus (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com).
- Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB (Redskins): One year, minimum salary benefit. No guaranteed money (Twitter link via Pelissero).
- Jamize Olawale, FB (Cowboys): Three years, $5.4MM. $2.8MM guaranteed. $1.8MM signing bonus. 2021-2022 are option years that must be exercised prior to end of 2020 league year (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Brent Qvale, OL (Jets): One year, $1.4MM. $550K guaranteed. $1MM in incentives (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post).
East Notes: Cowboys, Crawford, Jets, Bills
The latest from the AFC and NFC East divisions:
- Cowboys defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford was caught on camera brawling inside of a Florida bar, as TMZ details. The 6’4″, 280-pound lineman is shown fighting off four bouncers at once and holding his own. Then, the fight spilled outside, where Crawford got tangled up with multiple cops. Interestingly, Crawford was not arrested and has not been charged with a crime. However, the NFL might have something to say about the incident. After losing Randy Gregory and David Irving to indefinite bans, the Cowboys can ill afford to lose anyone else on the D-Line for the start of the 2019 season.
- Center was a major need for the Jets this offseason, but they did not make offers to Mitch Morse or Matt Paradis, the top two centers in this year’s free agent class (via Manish Mehta of the Daily News). Instead, they re-upped Jonotthan Harrison on a two-year deal with the hope that he can compete with other versatile interior line additions to come. Brett Jones, who has drawn interest from the Jets and a quintet of other clubs, could be added to the mix.
- Seahawks free agent Maurice Alexander, a longtime starter for the Rams, will visit the Bills on Thursday and Friday, a source tells NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).
Giants GM: “We Were Not Actively Shopping” OBJ
The Giants may have talked to several teams about Odell Beckham Jr. before pulling off a trade with the Browns, but general manager Dave Gettleman said he was “not actively shopping” the star wideout. Speaking to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, the executive discussed how the trade ultimately developed, noting that the receiver’s distractions (along with a hefty offer from Cleveland) made a trade more palatable.
“Obviously there’s a lot of stuff that factors in, but at the end of the day, in order for us to move Odell, the other team was going to have to knock it out of the park,’’ Gettleman said. “We were not actively shopping him.’’
The Browns apparently made an offer that grabbed the attention of the Giants, with New York receiving Cleveland’s first-round pick (No. 17 overall), third-round pick (95th overall), and young safety Jabrill Peppers. While the Giants never intended to trade Beckham when they signed him to a lucrative five-year, $95MM contract last August, the Browns’ offer was ultimately too good to refuse.
“Some have questioned why we signed Odell [last August] and then traded him,’’ Gettleman said. “We didn’t sign him to trade him but obviously things changed. Frankly, what changed is another team made an offer we couldn’t refuse. As it turned out, the fact he was signed for five more years made him very attractive and allowed us to get legitimate value.’’
Gettleman did acknowledge that he made one phone call regarding Beckham. Following the Bills’ failed pursuit of former Steelers wideout Antonio Brown, the Giants contacted Buffalo about a trade. The general managed said he also had “numerous conversations’’ with 49ers general manager John Lynch. Based on Gettleman’s assertions, we can only assume it was Lynch who contacted the Giants’ front office.
Bills Add T LaAdrian Waddle
A swing tackle for recent Patriots teams, LaAdrian Waddle will head to another AFC East franchise. The Bills will sign the free agent offensive lineman, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets.
Waddle generated interest from the Dolphins but will instead trek to Buffalo, which has been busy revamping its offensive line this week.
The Bills have signed Spencer Long, Mitch Morse, Ty Nsekhe and Jon Feliciano. More than half of Buffalo’s offensive line group may well be new in 2019. Waddle, 27, may end up serving in a backup role again but has been a capable fill-in with the Patriots for the past two seasons.
His run as a Lions starter did not produce a long tenure in Detroit, and after being waived in 2015, Waddle landed in New England. He was a part of two Super Bowl champions, the second such run including three starts. This continues the exodus of recent Patriot tackles, with Waddle’s defection following those of Nate Solder, Cameron Fleming and Trent Brown.
The Patriots still have right tackle starter Marcus Cannon under contract but will likely have to add some help for depth purposes, especially considering potential left tackle starter Isaiah Wynn missed all of his rookie season due to having torn his Achilles’ tendon.
Contract Details: Foles, Tate, Crowder, Desir
Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed NFL contracts:
- Nick Foles, QB (Jaguars): Four years, $88MM. $50.125MM guaranteed. $25MM signing bonus. $3.5MM available annually in playtime, playoffs, Pro Bowl, NFL MVP, or Super Bowl MVP incentives (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
- Golden Tate, WR (Giants): Four years, $37MM. $23MM guaranteed. $10MM signing bonus. $3MM 2019 roster bonus. 2019 and 2020 base salaries guaranteed (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com).
- Jamison Crowder, WR (Jets): Three years, $28.5MM. $17MM guaranteed. $3MM signing bonus. $4MM 2019 roster bonus (Link via Matt Stypulkoski of NJ.com).
- Pierre Desir, CB (Colts): Three years, up to $25MM. $1MM base salary and $8MM roster bonus guaranteed in 2019. Maximum $700K possible in incentives for interceptions in all three years, plus a $200K base escalator for 2020 and 2021 if he makes the Pro Bowl (Twitter link via Joel Erikson of the Indianapolis Star).
- Andre Roberts, WR (Bills): Two years, $4.6MM. $3MM guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus. $250K available annually via catch-based incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Frank Gore, RB (Bills): One year, $2MM. $500K signing bonus. $250K workout bonus (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).
- Brandon Bolden, RB (Patriots): Two years, $3.7MM. $2MM guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus. $500K available annually via playtime and total yardage incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- J.J. Nelson, WR (Raiders): One year, $1MM. $75K signing bonus. $500K available via catches and playtime incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Craig Robertson, LB (Saints): Two years, $4.1MM. $2.3MM guaranteed. $1MM available annually via playtime incentives (Twitter link via Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune).
- Eric Kush, OL (Browns): Two years, $3.75MM. $700K signing bonus. $1MM available annually via playtime incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
Raiders, Bills GMs Discuss Antonio Brown Trade Talks
Earlier this week, the Steelers agreed to trade Antonio Brown to the Raiders in exchange for a third- and fifth-round pick in this year’s draft. However, that deal wouldn’t have even materialized if a reported Pittsburgh/Buffalo deal hadn’t fallen apart.
Appearing on the Dan Patrick Show, Raiders general manager Mike Mayock said he initially told the Steelers that he was “not interested” in making a deal for the wide receiver. When Pittsburgh was willing to drop their asking price (and when trade talks with the Bills broke down), the two sides ended up agreeing on a trade.
“I kept saying we’re not interested,” Mayock said (via Andrew Perloff of the Dan Patrick Show on Twitter). “Then the Buffalo thing fell through. One of their guys reached out to Jon [Gruden]. … [Steelers GM] Kevin [Colbert] said to me, would you trade your two? I said no, but we might trade our three.”
The GM said similar things to Mike Florio earlier this week. Despite there potentially being two additional suitors for Brown, Mayock and the Raiders were still able to pull off the deal.
On the flip side, the Bills weren’t able to pull off a trade for Brown. Reports from last week indicated that Buffalo was on the cusp of acquiring the star wide receiver, but the deal ultimately broke down. While there have been several reports that the deal was nixed because of Brown’s unwillingness to play in Buffalo, Bills general manager Brandon Beane continues to claim that it was his decision to not make the trade. The executive told reporters (including ESPN’s Mike Rodak) that talks with Pittsburgh were “positive all around,” but the organization ultimately “just decided to withdraw.”
Brown’s decision to not join Buffalo has led some to claim that the Bills are not a free agent destination. Beane was quick to dismiss that “narrative,” saying the opinion “started with a bad rumor on the Antonio Brown thing when people were looking for reasons and didn’t have all the facts.”
“Don’t speak about Buffalo if you don’t know what this city and fan base is like,” Beane said. “It really pissed me off. It’s not true. How many [free agent signings] flowed through here today? … I can’t tell you how many players commented ‘This is amazing. This is awesome. What a facility. What a culture.’ This city, we love it. Anybody that says that doesn’t know Buffalo and really is speaking out of ignorance.”
The Bills have been relatively active in recent days. The added a pair of wideouts in Cole Beasley and John Brown, and they’ve also added Mitch Morse, Frank Gore, Kevin Johnson, and Tyler Kroft.
Bills Host Mark Nzeocha
- The Bills hosted linebacker Mark Nzeocha on Thursday, per Yates (Twitter link). Like Mickens, Nzeocha is primarily a special teams player, topping 60% ST playtime in each of the past two years with the 49ers. But he saw a bit of action on defense in 2018, starting three games and playing on 13% of San Francisco’s defensive snaps. He’d give Buffalo depth at linebacker.
Contract Details: McCourty, Williams, Lewis
Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed contracts:
- Jason McCourty, CB (Patriots): Two years, $10MM. Maximum value of $11MM. $6MM paid out in 2019 (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com). $5.5MM guaranteed. Team option for 2020; roster bonus of $500K due if option exercised (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of the Advocate).
- Daryl Williams, T (Panthers): One year, $6MM. $3MM signing bonus. $2.25MM base salary. $750K in per-game roster bonuses. Can earn $500K by making the Pro Bowl (Twitter link via Joe Person of The Athletic).
- Marcedes Lewis, TE (Packers): One year, $2.1MM. Maximum value of $2.35MM (per Pelissero).
- Brandon Mebane, DT (Chargers): Two years, $9.3MM. $5.25MM guaranteed (per Pelissero).
- Kevin Johnson, CB (Bills): One year, $3MM. $400K signing bonus. $2MM base salary. Per-game roster bonus and workout bonus of $300K each (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).
- Bradley Pinion, P (Buccaneers): Four years, $11MM. $3.6MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Greg Auman of The Athletic).
- Zach Zenner, RB (Lions): One year, $805K. $250K guaranteed. $150K signing bonus (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com).