Bills Sign Tyrod Taylor, Easley, Wynn
SATURDAY, 5:14pm: Taylor reportedly turned down more money from the Broncos in favor of the Bills deal, ESPN Bills reporter Mike Rodak tweets. Taylor’s contract runs for three years, voiding to two if he emerges as a starter.
SATURDAY, 11:13am: The Bills have officially announced Wynn’s deal.
THURSDAY, 5:38pm: Taylor’s deal is for two years and can be worth up to $7MM, Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets. The deal is worth $1.2MM guaranteed.
9:26am: The Bills have confirmed to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link) that they have indeed signed Taylor.
9:23am: The Bills have reached agreements with three players to new contracts, including two of their own free agents, according to reports today. Head coach Rex Ryan confirmed on The Fan 590 in Toronto that his team has added quarterback Tyrod Taylor (link via Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550), while Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports (via Twitter) that Buffalo has re-signed special-teamer Marcus Easley and defensive end Jarius Wynn.
Taylor, whose deal has only been confirmed by Ryan so far, was Joe Flacco‘s quarterback in Baltimore in recent years. Having paid a visit to Buffalo this week, he’ll likely be third on the Bills’ depth chart behind Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel, assuming he has in fact finalized a contract with the team, as the head coach suggests.
According to Wilson, Easley’s new deal is a four-year pact worth $7MM, with $2.2MM of that total guaranteed. While Easley is listed on the team’s roster as a wide receiver, he’s rarely used on offense, serving primarily as a special teams ace. In 2014, he had 11 tackles in kick and punt coverage after racking up 19 in 2013.
As for Wynn, his new two-year deal is worth $2.2MM, with a $250K signing bonus, per Wilson. With Jerry Hughes back in the fold, Wynn will likely once again serve as a reserve and part-time contributor, seeing occasional playing time on the ends behind Hughes and Mario Williams.
AFC East Notes: Hardy, Bush, Bulaga, Clay
The Patriots have a history of taking in players with checkered pasts, and could have the opportunity to do so again by signing Greg Hardy this offseason, write Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com. He notes that the team took in trouble souls such as Corey Dillon, Randy Moss, Aqib Talib, and most recently LeGarrette Blount, all of whom had successful runs with the team.
Considering the cap space the Patriots have available after losing both Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner, Hardy could be the next reclamation project for Bill Belichick.
- The Patriots lost versatile tailback Shane Vereen to the Giants, and missed out on Reggie Bush, who signed with the 49ers earlier today. That puts them in the market for a pass catching option out of the backfield, writes Mike Reiss of ESPN. Reiss writes that last year’s fourth-round pick James White could fill that role, or Dion Lewis, both of whom are still on the roster. He also picks out University of Miami running back Duke Johnson and former Saint Pierre Thomas as possible options.
- The Bills were pursuing offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga aggressively in free agency, and Andrew Brandt noted that Buffalo had offered him more money than he got to return to the Packers, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.
- The Bills may have lost out on Bulaga, but they are still trying to land Charles Clay away from the Dolphins, writes Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. The team fully intends to sign Clay to an offer sheet, then the Dolphins would have to either match or allow Clay to leave.
NFL Issues Performance-Based Bonuses
The NFL has announced and issued its performance-based pay bonuses for the 2014 season, according to a press release from the league. The bonuses, which are based on a player’s playing time relative to his salary level, come from a pool of $3.633MM per team. Here are the top performance-based pay amounts for the past season:
- Seantrel Henderson, T (Bills): $373,671
- Corey Linsley, C (Packers): $339,566
- Russell Bodine, C (Bengals): $318,612
- Avery Williamson, LB (Titans): $315,120
- E.J. Gaines, DB (Rams): $308,338
- Zach Fulton, G (Chiefs): $303,352
- Kelvin Beachum, T (Steelers): $297,687
- Preston Brown, LB (Bills): $293,179
- Michael Wilhoite, LB (49ers): $292,406
- Paul Worrilow, LB (Falcons): $287,413
East Notes: Cowboys, Harvin, Bills, Giants
Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports examines the situation in the Cowboys‘ front office, deducing that Stephen Jones is currently winning out on key decisions over his father Jerry Jones. According to Robinson, the Cowboys owner would have been willing to go up to at least $6-7MM per year for DeMarco Murray, while his son, the team’s executive VP, drew a line in the sand in the neighborhood of $5MM annually. Of course, the Eagles‘ final offer ultimately averaged $8MM per year, so it’s not clear if Dallas would have landed him even if Jerry made the final call.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:
- Percy Harvin had a two-day visit in Buffalo with the Bills and is now taking some time to plan his next move, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Per Florio, the former Seahawks and Jets wideout has a couple more visits that he could take, but he’s debating whether to continue that process or to accept an offer, perhaps from the Bills.
- The Giants have missed out on a couple potential free agent targets at safety, and one source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) that the team’s plans at the position are unclear. “Nobody knows what [they’re] going to do at free safety,” the source said. “They don’t have one on the roster that started an NFL game.”
- Speaking to the media today, including Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter link), new Dolphins tight end Jordan Cameron claimed he never agreed to a deal with the Browns, despite multiple reporters confirming it yesterday. “It’s the NFL free agency for you,” Cameron said. “Talks heated up.”
Thursday Roundup: Weddle, Peterson, Harvin
The Chargers still have over $21MM in cap space, and could look to spend that money to add to the team this offseason. Meanwhile, star safety Eric Weddle is coming into the last year of his contract and is unsure of his future with the team, writes Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com.
“I think I’ve earned [a new deal],” Weddle said. “But it has to work both ways. They have to want it, too. And if they don’t, then we will play it out and I’ll be a free agent next year “I want to be here, but I understand the situation and what they want to do. If I’m a part of it — great. If not, then I plan on making this season a memorable one and we’ll see what happens from there.”
- The Vikings are focused on keeping Adrian Peterson, not trading him, writes Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune. But Vensel’s colleague at the Star Tribune, Michael Rand, believes the stars are aligning for the Cowboys to make a trade for Peterson.
- Percy Harvin has finished his visit with the Bills, and he is mulling other possible visits, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). La Canfora adds that the Harvin situation could begin to wrap itself up as early as this weekend.
- Brian Orakpo is in Tennessee on a visit and is planning to meet with the Cardinals next. However, he might not make it to Arizona if the Titans can get a deal in place before he leaves tonight, writes John Keim of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- Shelley Smith has left Seattle without a deal and will now visit the Broncos, tweets Mike Klis of the Denver Post.
- Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star looks ahead to the rest of the Colts‘ offseason, noting that the team has already made its big splashes with the additions of Andre Johnson, Trent Cole, and Frank Gore. However, Holder expects Indianapolis to perhaps add a safety like Louis Delmas or Kendrick Lewis and/or an offensive lineman in the second wave of free agency, when better bargains can be had. The Colts currently have around $15-16MM in available cap space.
- 49ers GM Trent Baalke does not appear especially concerned about losing last year’s starting cornerbacks Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox should those two players sign elsewhere in free agency. As Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News writes, Baalke is confident that the team has capable internal options to fill the void.
Rory Parks contributed to this post.
Dolphins Want To Keep Charles Clay
Even after signing Jordan Cameron tonight, the Dolphins hope to keep Charles Clay in the fold, tweets Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. At the very least, Miami will keep the transition tag on Clay, thereby making it tougher for the Bills to sign him (Twitter links to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and ProFootballTalk).
Per Carucci, Clay returned to Miami tonight after spending the last three days in Buffalo. We heard several days ago that the Bills were planning to make a strong push for the tight end’s services, but we learned within the last few hours that Clay and the Dolphins were discussing a long-term deal that would keep Clay in Miami. The Dolphins recently cut Brian Hartline and may yet part ways with Mike Wallace, but as Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post tweets, the combination of Cameron, Clay, and Dion Sims would help to offset the team’s lack of depth at wide receiver.
But Carucci adds in a separate tweet that Buffalo is by no means out of the running for Clay. Carucci believes the Bills could either sign Clay as an unrestricted free agent, if Miami ultimately chooses to remove the transition tag, or they could present him with an offer sheet that the Dolphins would not be willing to match. The Browns, on the other hand, lost out on Cameron and are apparently no longer a threat to sign Clay either (Twitter link to Carucci).
Charles Clay, Dolphins Talking Long-Term Deal
The Bills are contemplating signing tight end Charles Clay to a lucrative offer sheet, but the team may not get the opportunity to do so, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links), who reports that the Dolphins are talking to their transition player about a long-term contract. If Clay were to reach an agreement with Miami on a multiyear deal, it would take him off the free agent market.
Having designated Clay as their transition player, the Dolphins tendered him a one-year offer worth $7.071MM, which gives the team the right to match any offer sheet the tight end signs with another suitor, such as the Bills. However, the Fins wouldn’t receive any draft-pick compensation if they don’t match that offer sheet, and Buffalo has reportedly been trying to structure its offer sheet in a way that would make it difficult for Miami to match it.
Complicating matters is the fact that the Dolphins currently have another top free agent tight end, Jordan Cameron, in Miami on a free agent visit, and there’s mutual interest between the two sides. While Cameron represents a nice fallback option if the Fins lose Clay, the former Browns tight end is drawing interest from other clubs, including Cleveland. The Browns are also said to have interest in Clay.
The Bills, meanwhile, are badly in need of some help at the tight end position after releasing Scott Chandler and letting Lee Smith walk in free agency. If Buffalo ends up empty-handed in the Clay and Cameron sweepstakes, it’s not clear where the team would turn next. For his part, GM Doug Whaley told SiriusXM NFL Radio today his Bills are still debating whether to make Clay an offer, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com.
Eagles Working To Trade Evan Mathis
1:48pm: The Patriots have also expressed interest in Mathis, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter). Meanwhile, Jim Thomas tweets that the Rams have denied having interest, though he rightly points out that the team adamantly denied that they had any interest in trading Sam Bradford.
1:29pm: Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com adds the Bills and Vikings to the list of teams “sniffing around” on Mathis, and says the Saints may be involved as well (Twitter link).
1:23pm: The Dolphins have been in touch with the Eagles about Mathis, reports Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). The Rams are also believed to be in the mix, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).
1:11pm: The Eagles are working to trade guard Evan Mathis, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (via Twitter). Dealing Mathis would be just the latest move in what has been a wild offseason for the Eagles.
Finding a marker for Mathis shouldn’t be too difficult considering his performance last season. Even though he only saw time in nine games, Mathis’ overall score of 25.8 (per Pro Football Focus, subscription required) ranked him as the second-best offensive guard in the NFL last season. The year prior, Mathis graded out as the very best guard in the NFL.
Mathis’ deal calls for him to earn a $5.5MM base with $1MM prorated in 2015, good for a total of $6.5MM. With an extra $500K in his base salary in 2016, that number jumps slightly to $7MM. Mathis is 33, but guards tend to age a little bit better than most other positions.
East Notes: Jets, Bills, Harvin, Fasano
Now that he has returned to the Jets, cornerback Darrelle Revis is working hard to convince Antonio Cromartie to come back to the Meadowlands, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com writes.
“I’m going to get in contact with him very soon and try to convince him to come back and join our Batman and Robin tandem that we had a couple of years ago,” Revis said.
The two cornerbacks played together in New York from 2010 to 2012. There might not be much work for Revis to do, as Cromartie and the Jets are said to be pretty close to a deal.
Here are a few more Thursday morning notes from around the NFL’s two East divisions:
- The Bills‘ visit with Percy Harvin is scheduled to continue today, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com, who tweets that the wideout is returning to the team’s facility this morning. Buffalo is said to be pushing to sign Harvin to a one-year deal.
- After cutting Scott Chandler on Wednesday, the Bills are interested in former Chiefs tight end Anthony Fasano, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets. Fasano could visit with Buffalo if he doesn’t sign with the Titans during his visit there. Fasano, 30, was released by KC in late February.
- Running back Shane Vereen made it clear last night that he’s not having second thoughts about leaving the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots for the Giants, as Doug Kyed of NESN writes. “This is a great organization. I was fortunate enough to play in New England with another great organization, and this is no slouch,” Vereen said. “This is not a step down. If anything, it’s a step up. I’m looking forward to the opportunity, and I’m enjoying being in New York.”
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
NFC Links: Vikings, 49ers, Cowboys
Some assorted notes from around the NFC…
- The bridge hasn’t been completely burned between the Vikings and Adrian Peterson. ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling tweets that the organization is still trying to “work things out” with the embattled running back.
- Prior to signing with the Bills, the Vikings asked Jerome Felton to bring them back a counter offer, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (via Twitter). The fullback did just that, but Minnesota refused to come close to the four-year, $9.2MM deal he got from Buffalo.
- 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said there’s no interest in bringing in defensive end Greg Hardy, according to Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee (via Twitter).
- The Cowboys are hosting fullback Jed Collins tonight, according to Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram. The Cowboys are hunting for a replacement for Tyler Clutts, who is a free agent. He is the first player the Cowboys have hosted during free agency.