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NFL Contract Details: Scandrick, Shelby, Latimer, Wynn

March 22nd, 2018 at 8:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at the most recent new contracts around the NFL:

  • Orlando Scandrick, CB (Redskins): Two years, $6.85MM. $1MM guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via John Keim of ESPN.com).
  • Derrick Shelby, DE (Falcons): One year, $3.25MM. $2MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
  • Cody Latimer, WR (Giants): One year, $2.5MM. $2.47MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com).
  • Marshall Newhouse, T (Bills): One year, $1.5MM. $500K guaranteed. $500K signing bonus. $250K available via playing time incentive (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).
  • Kerry Wynn, DE (Giants): One year, $1.25MM. $500K guaranteed (Twitter link via Raanan).
  • L.P. Ladouceur, LS (Cowboys): One year, $1.015MM. $630K guaranteed. $90K signing bonus. Minimum salary benefit (Twitter link via Todd Archer of ESPN.com).

Jets, Browns To Meet With E.J. Gaines

March 22nd, 2018 at 12:14pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets and Browns have plans to meet with free agent cornerback E.J. Gaines, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. He’ll visit the Jets on Thursday and the Browns on Friday. 

Gaines met with the Cardinals last week, but left Arizona without a deal. Prior to that, he drew some interest from the Texans, but they seem pretty set at cornerback after adding Aaron Colvin and re-signing Johnathan Joseph.

Gaines, 26, appeared in 11 games for the Bills last year after coming over in the Sammy Watkins trade. He finished out as Pro Football Focus‘ No. 12 ranked cornerback and placed ninth in Football Outsiders’ success rate. Before the start of free agency, we ranked Gaines as the fourth-best corner on the market and the No. 18 free agent overall. It’s somewhat surprising to see him still on the board at this stage.

The Bills have not ruled out re-signing Gaines, but the addition of Vontae Davis probably means they’ll be moving on.

Contract Details: Jordy, Glennon, Incognito

March 21st, 2018 at 8:11pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at the most recent new contracts and restructures around the NFL:

New Contracts

  • Jordy Nelson, WR (Raiders): Two years, $14.2MM. $13MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
  • Mike Glennon, QB (Cardinals): Two-year, $8MM deal contains void years in 2020 and 2021. $4MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com).
  • Spencer Long, C (Jets): Four years, $27.5MM. $6MM guaranteed (link via Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap).
  • Jaron Brown, WR (Seahawks): Two years, $5.5MM. $2.75MM guaranteed. $1.95MM signing bonus. $750K available annually via receptions, yards, and touchdowns incentives (Twitter link via Brady Henderson of ESPN.com).
  • Christian Jones, LB (Lions): Two years, $6.35MM. $2.8MM guaranteed. $1.75MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com).
  • Kyle Wilber, LB (Raiders): Two years, $2.75MM. $1.4MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of SiriusXM).
  • Billy Turner, OL (Broncos): One year, $2MM. $750K guaranteed. $500K signing bonus (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9News).

Restructures

  • Richie Incognito, G (Bills): 2018 base salary reduced from $6.325MM to $3.65MM. Earned $1MM bonus. Bills created $1.675MM in cap space (Twitter link via Yates).
  • John Jerry, G (Giants): 2019 contract season eliminated. 2018 base salary reduced from $3.05MM to $1.075MM, $525K of which is guaranteed. $400K roster bonus added and paid on 3/21. Per-game roster bonuses increased from $250K to $500K (all Twitter links via Dan Duggan of NJ.com). Giants created $525K in cap space.

Bills WR Zay Jones Arrested

March 20th, 2018 at 7:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Bills wide receiver Zay Jones has been arrested and charged with felony vandalism following an incident in Los Angeles Monday night, according to a report from TMZ Sports.

TMZ obtained security footage of what appears to be an extremely bizarre entanglement, one in which Jones is fully nude and behaving erratically all while his brother — the Vikings’ Cayleb Jones — attempts to restrain him. Zay Jones eventually kicked a hole through a glass window in Cayleb’s girlfriend’s apartment, and photos show glass and blood strewn about.

“We are aware of the incident involving Zay Jones,” the Bills said in a statement, per Kimberley A. Martin of the Washington Post (Twitter link). “We are still in the process of gathering more information on the matter. At this point, we will have no further comment.”

Buffalo selected Jones out of East Carolina in the second round of the 2017 draft. In his rookie campaign, Jones started 10 games and posted 27 receptions for 316 yards and two touchdowns.

Allen Hurns Has Interest From Seven Teams

March 20th, 2018 at 6:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Appearing on Charlotte’s WFNZ following his release from the Jaguars earlier today, free agent wide receiver Allen Hurns said he’s received interest from the Bears, Bills, Saints, Texans, Jets, Raiders, and Panthers, according to Joel Erickson of the Advocate.

A number of those clubs have already added significant help at the wideout position this offseason. Chicago signed both Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel, Oakland replaced Michael Crabtree with Jordy Nelson and are now meeting with Eric Decker, and Carolina signed Jarius Wright and acquired Torrey Smith. Other teams, such as Buffalo, New Orleans, and Houston, have done little to address their pass-catching needs.

Hurns is only 26 years old, but he hasn’t had much success since the 2015 campaign. During that season, Hurns served as the Jaguars’ No. 2 receiver behind Allen Robinson and posted a 64/1,031/10 line. Since then, Hurns’ role in the Jacksonville offense has been drastically scaled back, while injuries have also limited him. He failed to top 500 yards receiving in either 2016 or 2017.

Hurns’ first free agent visit is expected to take place with the Jets on Wednesday.

Bills Host LBs Kevin Minter, Karlos Dansby

March 20th, 2018 at 5:06pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After losing Preston Brown to the Bengals last week, the Bills are making moves to replenish their linebacker corps. Buffalo has met with free agent linebackers Kevin Minter and Karlos Dansby, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter links).

Minter started 32 games with the Cardinals from 2015-16, and had been expected to take on major responsibilities with Cincinnati after inking a one-year pact last spring. But Minter played on fewer than 20% of the Bengals’ defensive snaps, seeing less action than sixth-round rookie Jordan Evans and barely playing ahead of undrafted free agent Hardy Nickerson. Minter ended the 2017 season on injured reserve while dealing with a hamstring issue.

But Minter is still only 27 years old, and he offers more experience than other Bills options such as Matt Milano and Tanner Vallejo. Moreover, the off-ball linebacker market has mostly been picked over, as NaVorro Bowman is the only impact player left at the position. Minter, then, could be viewed as an attractive addition when compared with aging veterans such as Brian Cushing, Lawrence Timmons, or Jerrell Freeman.

Dansby, on the other hand, is one of those aging veterans, and like Minter, he’s also an ex-Cardinal. The 36-year-old has actually enjoyed three separate stints with Arizona, and has also spent time with Miami, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. An extremely durable linebacker, Dansby started 15 games a season ago, racking up 74 tackles and one sack while grading as the league’s No. 49 linebacker among 87 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.

Bills Rumors: No. 1 Pick, Boldin

March 20th, 2018 at 1:21pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have not contacted the Browns about trading for the No. 1 overall pick, a source tells Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

The Bills moved up to the No. 12 selection in the Cordy Glenn trade with Cincinnati and they also hold the No. 22 overall pick in the draft, fueling speculation that they could vault into the top five to select their quarterback of the future. However, it’s hard to imagine the Browns trading down from No. 1 and passing up a chance to get their favorite QB, despite GM John Dorsey‘s proclamation that he is open to a deal. The Bills are effectively blocked from moving up to No. 3 after the Jets acquired that pick from the Colts, so one has to wonder if the Bills will look to engage the Giants for the No. 2 pick. Then again, the Giants also seem unlikely to move down given their need for a successor to Eli Manning or a playmaker like Saquon Barkley.

  • Anquan Boldin says he hasn’t thought about whether he could play again, but he’s confident that he could pick up where he left off. “Definitely,” Boldin said (via Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun). “If I wanted to, I know I could.” Boldin was released from the Bills‘ reserve/retired list last week, fueling speculation that he could return to the field. Boldin will turn 38 in October, which is well past the expiration date for a wide receiver. He also averaged just 8.7 yards per reception in 2016, his last NFL season.
  • The Patriots are among the teams interested in former Bills wide receiver/special teams ace Marcus Easley now that he’s back to full health, league sources tell Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). The Giants also have interest, per Wilson.

Bills Sign OL Russell Bodine, Marshall Newhouse

March 19th, 2018 at 5:35pm CST by Ryan Posner

The Bills instantly added depth to their depleted offensive line following the trade of left tackle Cordy Glenn, agreeing to deals with Marshall Newhouse and Russell Bodine, with Buffalo confirming both deals. Bodine will receive a two-year deal and Newhouse will join the team on a one-year deal. Bodine’s pact will be worth $5MM, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). Newhouse’s deal is worth up to $2MM, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (on Twitter).

Bodine looks to be the major haul of the two after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Bengals while starting all 16 games at center each season. Eric Wood started all 16 regular-season games at center for the Bills last year but was forced to call it a career after failing his end-of-season physical with a neck injury. The Bills hosted Bodine for a visit Sunday and Monday. The Bengals offered the lineman a long-term, low-guarantee deal, but Rapoport notes that Bodine decided the Bills offer “is best for his future.”

The 25-year-old center graded as one of the bottom-10 centers in the NFL out of last season’s qualifiers, according to Pro Football Focus. With other centers like Ryan Jensen and Weston Richburg off the market, Bodine served as one of the top players at the position still available in free agency.

Newhouse, 29, started 14 games at right tackle for the Raiders last season. The Raiders released Newhouse earlier this month, a year into a two-year $3.5MM deal signed last offseason. Along with the trade of Glenn, the Bills lost Seantrel Henderson, who signed with the Texans this offseason. The Bills were set to enter the season with Dion Dawkins and Jordan Mills starting at tackle.

Newhouse was graded in the bottom-third of tackle qualifiers last season, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s appeared in 100 games and has made 70 starts over a seven-year career, including stints with the Packers, Giants and Bengals.

[RELATED: Bills Depth Chart]

Bills "Seriously Pursued" Josh McCown

March 19th, 2018 at 3:43pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • The Jets immediately began talking to McCartney about one of his other clients, Josh McCown, but their $10MM offer — a career most for the soon-to-be 39-year-old quarterback — may have come because the Bills were strong pursuers as well. King reports Buffalo was “seriously interested” in McCown, who signed for $4MM more than he did last year. Buffalo ended up landing A.J. McCarron for less money per season.
  • The seven-team research list McCartney’s office compiled earlier this offseason included the final four teams, but also featured the Bills, Browns and Dolphins. Going into the final week, King notes McCartney and Cousins felt the Jets and Vikings had the edge but acknowledged the Broncos and Cardinals were still in the mix. McCartney told teams a fully guaranteed contract was important during this process. It’s unclear if the Cardinals offered that, but the other two proposals were for fully guaranteed deals. The agent confirmed only the Vikings, Cardinals and Jets made offers, and Minnesota’s included the pitch of possibly being in position to win multiple titles with Cousins as the missing piece. King notes Minnesota’s new stadium and new facility also surfaced during the team’s over-the-phone proposal.
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