Buffalo Bills Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Rex Ryan Signs Deal With ESPN

March 17th, 2017 at 11:52am CST by Zachary Links

Rex Ryan says he still has interest in coaching, but he won’t be on the sidelines in 2017. The former Jets and Bills head coach has signed a multi-year deal to be on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

Ryan first auditioned for the gig when he served as a guest analyst on Super Bowl Sunday. As one of the most colorful personalities in the game, he was a natural fit for the job. In January, even as Ryan said that he still had an itch to coach, he admitted that he had interest in a broadcasting career.

“The one thing about (being on TV) is that you don’t lose,” Ryan said. “You’ll remember every damn loss. But the wins? You don’t necessarily remember. So, it takes a lot out of you. I’m tired of getting f—ked. Unless it’s a real situation, there’s no sense of getting into it again.”

In that January interview, Ryan said he is interested “at all” in a defensive coordinator job “at this time.” Of course, after washing out in Buffalo, he wasn’t a viable candidate for any NFL head coaching position. Interestingly, he did not rule out returning to the Jets someday in some capacity.

East Notes: Jets, Eagles, Jenkins, Bills

March 16th, 2017 at 7:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Muhammad Wilkerson, who inked a monster extension with the Jets last year, appears to be extremely out of shape, according to multiple scouts who saw him at Temple’s Pro Day (via Manish Mehta of the Daily News). Wilkerson’s listed weight last season was 315 pounds and it’s unclear how heavy he is at the moment. The Jets effectively chose Wilkerson over fellow defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson last year by giving him the long-term deal and, so far, it’s not clear if Wilkerson will reward the Jets for their confidence in him. Last year Wilkerson had just 4.5 sacks, the lowest total since his rookie season. This year, he’s set to carry a $18MM cap number with a fully guaranteed $14.75MM base salary, so a trade is probably out of the question. Meanwhile, Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter) posted a picture of Wilkerson from just last week in which he appears to be in the same shape he was last year.

A bit more from the NFL’s East divisions:

Eagles GM Howie Roseman continues to shoot down rumors that he offered up Malcolm Jenkins in trade talks for Brandin Cooks. His latest denial is the firmest one to date (Twitter link via 97.5 The Fanatic). “The Brandin Cooks, Malcolm Jenkins thing kind of gets under my skin. We were never going to trade Malcolm Jenkins,” Roseman said.
Initially reported as a four-year deal, kicker Steven Hauschka‘s pact with the Bills is actually a three-year contract, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). It’s worth $8.85MM, nearly half of which ($4MM) is guaranteed.
In case you missed it, Gang Green agreed to a deal with longtime Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne on Thursday.

FA Rumors: Butler, Poe, Z. Brown, Raiders

March 16th, 2017 at 6:32pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Restricted free agent cornerback Malcolm Butler didn’t emerge from his Saints visit on Thursday with a deal, but the meeting “went well,” a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). As of now, there remains motivation on both sides to hammer out an agreement, Rapoport adds. PFR’s Zach Links laid out a few potential scenarios earlier this week involving Butler, who would surely net the Patriots a quality return in a trade.

More free agency-related news:

The offer that defensive tackle Dontari Poe accepted from the Falcons on Thursday was worth less than the Jaguars’ proposal, reports ESPN’s Josina Anderson (Twitter link). Before taking a one-year, $8MM deal (plus incentives) with the reigning NFC champions, Poe turned down the Jags’ fully guaranteed $9MM (and incentives). Head coach Dan Quinn was key in talking Poe into joining the Falcons, relays Anderson.
It doesn’t appear that linebacker Zach Brown‘s powwow with the Raiders will lead to a deal, as a source told ESPN’s Adam Caplan that it “looks like a no-go right now” (Twitter link). Although Brown had a stellar 2016 with Buffalo and currently ranks as PFR’s top available linebacker, the market for his services has been tepid.
Wide receiver Andre Holmes met with the Bills on Thursday, one day after there were reports that he had signed with them, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (via Twitter). It turns out the Bills offered Holmes a three-year, $4.5MM accord, which the NFLPA accidentally documented as a done deal.
Linebacker Dekoda Watson visited the Seahawks on Thursday, tweets ESPN’s Field Yates. The 29-year-old Watson is a journeyman who has played for five teams, including the Broncos last season. He served as an integral special teams cog in Denver, which would like to re-sign him.

Bills Match Rams’ Offer Sheet For Ryan Groy

March 16th, 2017 at 3:42pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills are matching the offer sheet for offensive lineman Ryan Groy, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). The Rams signed him to an offer sheet earlier this week, but they’ll have to look elsewhere for a center.

Groy will now remain in Buffalo on a two-year deal worth $5MM with $3.5MM guaranteed. The Bills rolled the dice a little by giving Groy an original-round tender – which called for zero draft compensation if the former undrafted free agent was signed away – but everything worked out alright for the Bills. They have retained their the interior lineman at a reasonable price.

The Rams cut former starting center Tim Barnes earlier this month and they were hoping to make Groy his replacement.

DeShawn Shead To Visit Bills

March 15th, 2017 at 9:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bills will host cornerback DeShawn Shead on a visit, according to Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com.

Shead, recovering from an ACL and meniscus tear suffered in the postseason, wasn’t tendered by the Seahawks as a restricted free agent. A 15-game starter last season, Shead is extremely versatile, as Kapadia writes he’s capable of playing outside, inside, or at safety. On more than 1,000 defensive snaps, Shead graded as the league’s No. 38 corner, per Pro Football Focus.

Seattle would like to bring Shead back into the fold, but as many as six other teams have expressed interest, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. If Shead can generate enough of a market, he may be able to earn more than he would have under the lowest restricted free agent tender ($1.797MM).

PFR did not place Shead on its most recent list of the top free agent cornerbacks due to the uncertainty surrounding his injury status.

Contract Details: Hoyer, Newman, Dansby

March 15th, 2017 at 9:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed contracts:

Karlos Dansby, LB (Cardinals): One year, $2MM. $700K guaranteed. $250K available via incentives (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
Vlad Ducasse, OL (Bills): Three years, $3.5MM. $250K guaranteed. $250K signing bonus. Playing time incentives available (link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).
Brian Hoyer, QB (49ers): Two years, $12MM. $9.85MM guaranteed. $4MM signing bonus. $1.5MM available via incentives (20 touchdowns, 2,500 passing yards, Pro Bowl) in 2017. $5MM available via incentives (same thresholds) in 2018 (links via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com).
Bennie Logan, DT (Chiefs): One year, $8MM. $7.68MM guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star).
Alex Okafor, LB/DE (Saints): One year, $2MM. $1MM guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus. $1MM available in sack and playtime incentives (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of the Advocate).
Terence Newman, CB (Vikings): One year, $3.25MM. $1.5MM guaranteed. $500K signing bonus (Twitter link via Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune).

Bills Make Offer To WR Andre Holmes

March 15th, 2017 at 4:53pm CST by Zachary Links

4:53pm: A Bills spokesperson also says that Holmes has not signed (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).

It seems that the Bills offered Holes a three-year, $4.5MM deal and the NFLPA accidentally documented it as a done deal rather than an offer. Now, the entire football world knows the exact terms of the Bills’ offer to Holmes, which could be detrimental to both sides. The deal could still go down, but as of right now, Holmes remains a free agent.

3:40pm: Hold up. Holmes took to Twitter to say that any reports of him signing with any team at this time are false. This is a strange development, particularly since ESPN’s report cites NFLPA documents.

3:29pm: It’s rare that NFL free agent deals become official before leaking out, but that’s exactly what happened with the Bills and wide receiver Andre Holmes. Holmes inked a three-year, $4.5MM deal with the Bills, according to NFLPA documents obtained by Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The deal includes $2.425MM guaranteed.

Wide receiver was a big need for the Bills coming into free agency and the Holmes pickup doesn’t totally check that box. He can be a valuable supporting cast member behind star Sammy Watkins, but it would be a bit underwhelming to see the Bills go into the season with Watkins, Holmes, Dezmin Lewis, and free agent pickups Philly Brown and Jeremy Butler as their top five wide receivers. Walt Powell and Kolby Listenbee are also under contract, giving the team seven receivers in total.

Holmes, 28, spent the past four seasons in Oakland. The former undrafted free agent was a large part of the Raiders’ offense as recently as two years ago, as he posted 47 receptions for nearly 700 yards and four touchdowns during the 2014 campaign. In 2016, however, Holmes had only 14 catches with a larger emphasis on special teams.

LB Zach Brown To Visit Raiders

March 15th, 2017 at 10:40am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders are getting a visit from Bills free agent linebacker Zach Brown, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Oakland is looking to improve its linebacker group after underwhelming overall production in 2016.

Last week, Brown seemed to hint on Twitter that he won’t be returning to Buffalo. At the same time, the market for Brown has been slow to develop. The Oakland trip, as far as we know, is Brown’s first free agent visit. He was linked to the Dolphins last week, but they have since added Lawrence Timmons on a two-year deal.

The Raiders currently project to start Bruce Irvin, Cory James, and Shilique Calhoun at their three linebacker spots. Starter Malcolm Smith left the Raiders for the Niners this offseason and Perry Riley remains in free agent limbo. Brown would make a lot of sense for Oakland and, at minimum, the Raiders could use him to pressure Riley into staying on a more team-friendly deal. At last check, the Raiders were working on a new deal with Riley.

PFR named Brown as the second-best free agent linebacker in terms of ability and I predicted he’d earn the 25th-largest contract of any free agent this offseason. Brown still has time to prove me right, but given his soft market thus far, I’m skeptical that he’ll place that high.

Travaris Cadet Deciding Between Jets, Saints

March 15th, 2017 at 10:28am CST by Zachary Links

Travaris Cadet is down to two teams. The running back is weighing offers from the Jets and Saints, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter links). The Bills were once in the mix for Cadet, but it sounds like they’re now out of the running.

Cadet’s relationship with Jets offensive coordinator John Morton is a key factor in his decision, Wilson hears. The Jets are also offering more money than the Saints, so they could win out here.

Cadet bounced around a bit in 2015, but he has played the majority of his five-year career with the Saints. Last year, he caught 40 passes for 281 yards and four touchdowns with New Orleans. Meanwhile, he had just four carries for 19 yards. That’s roughly been the way Cadet has been used over the years – he’s a pass-catching specialist who also has some experience on kick returns.

Travaris Cadet Has Three Offers In Hand

March 14th, 2017 at 8:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agent running back Travaris Cadet is deciding between offers from the Saints, Jets, and Bills, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

Cadet, 28, has spent the majority of his career with the Saints, though he did have short stints with the 49ers and Patriots in 2015. Last year, Cadet settled back into his familiar passing down role, as he caught 41 balls from Drew Brees, managing 281 yards and four touchdowns in the process. Cadet wasn’t asked to carry the ball much, as he posted just four rushes for 19 yards.

Cadet has also spent a good deal of his career returning kicks, and that’s the role he’d likely play with the Bills and Jets, the latter of whom Cadet visited last week. Buffalo and New York both have established starting and backup running backs, Cadet wouldn’t seem to have much of a niche on offense in either city.

Buffalo Bills News & Rumors