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AFC East Notes: Allen, Van Ginkel, Patriots

May 30th, 2023 at 11:50am CST by Adam La Rose

This offseason has already seen two mega-deals signed at the quarterback position, and more are expected to follow. The Bills already have their signal-caller on the books, with Josh Allen having signed a six-year, $258MM deal in 2021.

[RELATED: Each Team’s Largest QB Investment]

That deal came not long after the Chiefs inked Patrick Mahomes to his 10-year, $450MM extension, and it represented a measuring stick for talks surrounding Allen and the Bills. To no surprise, the Mahomes deal was a topic of conversation with the Buffalo star due for his own extension.

“He and I talked a little bit about the pros and cons of that [Mahomes] deal and just some broad strokes of it,” Bills GM Brandon Beane said of Allen, via ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry. “And we talked about Tom Brady and the championships he won, and so that’s where it gets tough, because, yes, you want to be fairly compensated and it’s not good for the team to get you on some deal that’s not fair to you… Josh was very adamant about — ‘I’ll work with my people and yes I want to be recognized — there’s a respect thing — but I also [want] to win and I want to be able to keep player X, player Y.”

With Allen on the books through 2028, the Bills’ window for contention should remain open for many years to come. As is the case with his peers, though, Allen’s cap hits are scheduled to become burdensome later on in the deal, ranging between $41.5MM and $56.5MM starting in 2024. It will be interesting to monitor how the team is able to retain other key players once their quarterback begins taking up such a sizeable portion of their available funds.

Here are some other notes from around the AFC East:

  • The Bills exited this year’s draft with two new defenders, but none along the defensive front. That was not the plan, however, as noted by The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia (subscription required). Buffalo wanted to add a defensive tackle on either Day 2 or Day 3, given the uncertainty at the position beyond the coming season. Former first-rounder Ed Oliver is entering his walk year, as is fellow starter DaQuan Jones. Adding a rookie to develop behind those two (and potentially replace one of them next year) would have given the team more flexibility, but adding at the position will instead increasingly become a priority in 2024.
  • The Dolphins‘ defense faces increased expectations this season given the team’s recent additions on the field and the sidelines. One incumbent member of the unit who could be in line for a rebound in playing time is linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel. The veteran was convinced to remain in South Beach by new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, as detailed by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Van Ginkel, 27, was set to depart in free agency after seeing his defensive snap share drop from 71% in 2021 to 29% last season. Instead, the former fifth-round pick re-signed on a one-year deal in anticipation of being used in a hybrid role which will see him used both on the inside and outside. A strong season under Fangio will have Van Ginkel well-positioned in free agency next year.
  • The Patriots were hit with the loss of some OTA time last week after they were found to have violated the league’s rules on time spent in meetings, but not on-field work. As a result, the league’s fine handed down to Bill Belichick was $50K instead of the maximum $100K, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. The NFL also elected not to fine the organization, likely in large part because the Patriots cooperated in full with the investigation. From the players’ perspective, the most important element of the discipline is the fact that they will not be allowed to work out at the team’s facility during the days in which the violation is served.

Bills Believed Cowboys Were Eyeing Dalton Kincaid; Jags Feared Losing Anton Harrison

May 11th, 2023 at 10:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills made a concerted effort to leapfrog the Cowboys for tight end Dalton Kincaid. Shortly after the Steelers made a move up due to a belief the Jets would draft tackle Broderick Jones, the Bills discussed trade-ups with multiple teams with Kincaid in mind.

Although the Cowboys are not certain to have been targeting Kincaid, Albert Breer of SI.com notes GM Brandon Beane viewed it as likely. After attempting to trade into the Giants’ No. 25 overall spot, the Bills contacted the Jaguars, who traded back with New York and into that position. The Jags gave the Bills the draft real estate, but they wanted some assurances before doing so.

Once Beane called Jaguars GM Trent Baalke, the AFC South exec asked who the Bills were targeting. With Beane not confirming Kincaid was the endpoint in a layered process, Breer adds Baalke asked his Bills counterpart if this trade was for an offensive or defensive player and if it was for a big or small player. As Kincaid is a tight end by trade, Beane replied, “Medium,” before admitting Kincaid would be Buffalo’s pick.

Had the Jaguars balked at the trade, which sent them Nos. 27 and 130, Breer adds the Bills had trade parameters worked out with three teams. The move, should the Jags declined the Bills’ trade offer and the Cowboys taken Kincaid at 26, would have been to slide out of the first round. The Titans were one of the teams that worked out a trade with the Bills, who would have dropped down to No. 41 in that scenario. That trade-up for Tennessee — presumably for Will Levis, whose contract would have carried a fifth-year option if chosen at No. 27 — would have been costlier than the one it eventually made for the Kentucky prospect. The Titans gave the Cardinals Nos. 41 and 72 this year and a 2024 third to climb to 33 for Levis a day later.

After two trade-down moves, the Jaguars chose Anton Harrison at 27. Jacksonville was prepared to take Harrison at 24 and took a chance Dallas would pass on him at 26, and ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler adds the Jags see Jawaan Taylor-like traits in Harrison. This points to Harrison, once Cam Robinson returns from his PED suspension, lining up at right tackle. Taylor, the Jags’ four-year right-side starter, defected to the Chiefs in free agency. Harrison, whom the Raiders liked in the event they accepted a Cardinals trade-down offer, played almost exclusively at left tackle during his Oklahoma tenure. He started 23 games on the left side and just one at RT.

The Jags, however, still do not know how long Robinson’s suspension will last. They still have Walker Little, a 2021 second-round pick who replaced Robinson following his late-season meniscus tear, in place as insurance. Dallas ended up taking Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith and was considering Syracuse offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron. The team chose a tight end, Michigan’s Luke Schoonmaker, with its second-round pick.

Buffalo will pair Kincaid with Dawson Knox, who signed a long-term extension just before last season. Kincaid, who rated as Scouts Inc.’s top 2023 tight end after he caught 70 passes for 890 yards and eight touchdowns last season, is expected to spent frequent time in the slot. The Bills saw Jamison Crowder suffer a fractured ankle last season and released Isaiah McKenzie after he struggled with drops. Cole Beasley, lured out of retirement during the season, is no longer under contract.

“If Dalton was not there, we would have traded back,” Beane said, via ESPN.com’s Alaina Getzenberg. “… We just really liked him and just felt he would be a great fit in our offense. He is a tight end, but he is a receiving tight end. We think he’ll pair well with Dawson and give us another target in the middle of the field. So, yeah, when him and Dawson are in the game, you’re in ’12’ [personnel], but it’s quasi like ’11’ anyway. He’s not your standard ‘Y’ tight end. He’s going to be flexed out a lot more than necessarily you would do with Dawson.”

Bills Notes: Ertz, Hyde, Kincaid, Murray

May 8th, 2023 at 2:44pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bills became the first team to add a tight end in this year’s draft by trading up to select Dalton Kincaid. Seen as one of two first-round talents at the position, the Utah product figures to have a prominent pass-catching role in Buffalo’s offense for years to come.

The Bills came close to making a veteran addition at the position in 2021, though, when Zach Ertz was on the trade block. The three-time Pro Bowler ended up being dealt to the Cardinals, but Buffalo was named as a suitor at the time. Their efforts nearly yielded a swap, as Ertz recently confirmed.

“I was getting traded out of Philadelphia,” the 32-year-old said, via Mark Gaughan of the Buffalo News. “There were a couple teams extremely interested, Buffalo being one of them. It was almost a done deal, but it just didn’t get over the finish line.”

Here are some other notes out of Buffalo:

  • Micah Hyde is entering the final year of his deal, and he appears set to play without a new contract in hand beyond 2023. General manager Brandon Beane indicated (via Gaughan’s colleague Jay Skurski, on Twitter) that no extension talks have taken place with the 32-year-old. Hyde has been a mainstay on the backend during his six-year tenure with the Bills, but a neck injury limited him to just two games in 2022. The Pro Bowler is due $7.2MM this season, and has a scheduled cap hit of $10.57MM. His replacement after going down – Damar Hamlin – has been cleared to return to football activities and has two years remaining on his rookie contract.
  • Part of the reason the Bills traded up to secure Kincaid was the run on receivers coming off the board in the middle of the first round, as Beane noted during an appearance on Sirius XM Radio (audio link). Buffalo moved up from No. 27 to 25 (ahead of the TE-needy Cowboys) to secure Kincaid, widely seen as the best pass-catcher in a loaded class at the position. The latter should represent a strong fit in the team’s offense given how his skillset compliments that of Dawson Knox, though the Bills went until the fifth round to secure a receiver prospect, something many expected them to add earlier given their need for secondary pass-catching options.
  • The latest addition to Buffalo’s backfield, veteran Latavius Murray, came as a surprise to some. However, he knew he would be headed to Orchard Park by the third day of the draft given his agreement with Beane. The latter revealed, via Ryan Talbot of NewYorkUpstate.com, that he elected not to draft a running back on Day 3 on the condition that Murray would agree to sign with Buffalo. The 33-year-old should have a rotational role in the Bills’ new-look backfield after inking a one-year, veteran minimum pact.

Bills Notes: Hopkins, Miller, Diggs

April 21st, 2023 at 9:38pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bills have frequently been named as a potential destination for DeAndre Hopkins. The Cardinals wideout has been on the trade block for some time now, and an addition at the position is expected on the Bills’ part either on the trade front or at the draft.

[Poll: Who Will Acquire Hopkins?]

Von Miller – who was active in trying to recruit Odell Beckham Jr. to Buffalo last offseason in particular – is again pushing for a significant WR move. Fueling that effort is his belief that Hopkins is eyeing a move to the Bills, something which the latter recently hinted at.

“You got a lot of guys coming in and out [of offseason workouts],” Miller said, via Nick Wojton of BillsWire. “I talk to Hop all the time. It’s kind of like the same thing with OBJ, you just never know until you know. Hop said he wanted to be Buffalo Bill – and you just never know until you get that DeAndre Hopkins signature on a contract. I’m not sure of what circumstances are or what’s going on with that. I would love to see DeAndre Hopkins be here.”

The Bills are in need of a wideout to ease Stefon Diggs‘ workload; they also represent a contender, something which is important for Hopkins as he prepares for a potential trade and adjusted contract. Fitting him in at his current 2023 cap hit ($29.9MM) would be highly difficult given the team’s current financial situation, but recruiting from Miller could help convince Hopkins to play his role in green-lighting a move.

Here are a few other notes from Orchard Park:

  • Miller himself is the subject of plenty of questions heading into 2023, of course. The 34-year-old is coming off a torn ACL which cut short his debut season in Buffalo, the first of a six-year, $120MM deal which brought him to the Bills. Miller said he has yet to resume football activities, but he remains confident at this point in his rehab that he will be available “early in the season” (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe). That falls in line with the team’s expectation dating back to January; Miller’s importance to the Bills’ pass rush means his return will be highly anticipated, but also that he surely won’t be rushed back to the field.
  • Voluntary workouts started this week for Buffalo, meaning that tracking their attendance was a notable exercise. Diggs was among the absentees, as stated by general manager Brandon Beane (via Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic, on Twitter). Many players skip the opening of offseason programs as part of ongoing contract disputes, but that isn’t the case for Diggs given the four-year, $96MM extension he signed last offseason. The decision by the 29-year-old to stay away from the team hasn’t led to any speculation as of yet, and missed time at this point in the spring usually isn’t harmful for star players from an on-the-field perspective. Diggs should be expected to join the team in the near future, though.

Bills Notes: Miller, DC Replacement, RB Addition

March 18th, 2023 at 10:59pm CST by Adam La Rose

Von Miller has five years remaining on the deal he signed last offseason to join the Bills. That means the 33-year-old’s playing days should continue for at least the short-term future, but he already has a plan for his next career after he hangs up his cleats.

In an interview with 9News’ Mike Klis, Miller said he intends to pursue a career as a general manager once his playing career ends. He spent time at the Combine speaking with executives around the league to gain advice on how to one day begin the process of transitioning to the front office.

“It’s what I want to do,” the future Hall of Famer said. “I don’t have any experience. I know what a great football team looks like. I know what a winning football team looks like. A great staff, great equipment guys, great athletic trainers. I know what that looks like, I know what it takes to build those teams but that’s it.”

Miller noted that the success John Elway had both as a player and GM with the Broncos served as inspiration for his desire to work in a front office. He added that he has no intention of coaching once his playing days are over, so his success in finding a role in management will be something to watch down the road.

Here are some other notes out of Orchard Park:

  • The decision by Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier to step away for the 2023 season leaves the team with a notable vacancy on their staff. As expected, an external hire will not be coming, though. GM Brandon Beane confirmed that filling the DC spot will be handled internally, and that head coach Sean McDermott will “head” the process of determining who calls plays for the unit next season (Twitter links via ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg). McDermott serving as de-facto DC would come as no surprise given his background on that side of the ball, but the Bills have other candidates for a short-term promotion, including highly-regarded defensive backs coach John Butler.
  • The Bills added to their running backs room at the draft last offseason by selecting James Cook in the second round. They made another move at the trade deadline by acquiring Nyheim Hines, but Bean indicated (via Jon Scott of Spectrum News, on Twitter) that the team will be in the market for another back this year. Specifically, a power back to compliment the relatively undersized Cooks and Hines is what the team is targeting. Devin Singletary is one of several free agents still available at the position, and a departure would not come as a surprise. Especially is Singletary signs elsewhere, RB will be a position of interest for the Bills in the near future.

Latest On Bills S Damar Hamlin’s Recovery

January 6th, 2023 at 1:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Another batch of positive developments has surfaced from Damar Hamlin‘s recovery Friday. The hospitalized defender no longer needs his breathing tube and was able to speak to Bills teammates, the team announced.

After speaking to his family and select staffers at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Hamlin told Bills teammates, via Facetime, “Love you boys” (Twitter links). Doctors removed Hamlin’s breathing tube overnight. Hamlin cannot say much yet, but his ensuing words to his teammates, understandably, “brought the house down,” SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets.

Hamlin’s doctors have indicated he is ahead of schedule in his recovery from cardiac arrest. The 24-year-old safety collapsed on the field in the first quarter of the Bills-Bengals matchup Monday. He required CPR at Paycor Stadium, where he was resuscitated, and as of Wednesday needed to be on a ventilator. By Thursday, Hamlin had awakened and was using his hands and feet.

Doctors said Thursday that Hamlin appeared to be neurologically intact, and the Bills’ latest statement indicates the same. During Hamlin’s short address to his teammates, Sean McDermott said he gave them a thumbs-up and “flexed on them,” ESPN.com’s Alaina Getzenberg tweets. Bills GM Brandon Beane stayed in Cincinnati through Thursday.

“I simply asked what would I want someone to do for my son,” Beane said. “I have two boys. Sean wanted to stay, too, but we decided he had to be with and lead our team back in Buffalo. It was a rollercoaster.”

A number of NFL tributes will take place this weekend; his charity has received nearly $8MM in donations. Hamlin’s doctors said Thursday it is far too soon to know if he will ever play football again, but considering where this situation was as recently as midweek, these latest rounds of updates have illustrated a remarkable turn of events.

The NFL’s Longest-Tenured GMs

June 30th, 2022 at 10:48am CST by Sam Robinson

Wednesday, we took a look at how the 2022 offseason changed the HC landscape. While 10 new sideline leaders are in place for 2022, not quite as much turnover transpired on the general manager front. Five new decision-makers, however, have moved to the top of teams’ front office hierarchies over the past six months.

The Bears, Giants, Raiders and Vikings rebooted their entire operations, hiring new HC-GM combos. The Minnesota move bumped out one of the previous top-10 longest-tenured GMs, with 16-year Vikings exec Rick Spielman no longer in power in the Twin Cities. The Steelers’ shakeup took the NFL’s longest-tenured pure GM out of the mix. Kevin Colbert was with the Steelers since 2000, and although he is still expected to remain with the team in a reduced capacity, the 22-year decision-maker stepped down shortly after Ben Roethlisberger wrapped his career.

Twelve teams have now hired a new GM in the past two offseasons, though a bit more staying power exists here compared to the HC ranks. Two GMs (the Cardinals’ Steve Keim and Chargers’ Tom Telesco) have begun their 10th years at the helms of their respective front offices. They have hired three HCs apiece. The Buccaneers’ Jason Licht is closing in on a decade in power in Tampa Bay; Licht will now work with his fourth HC in Todd Bowles. Beyond that, a bit of a gap exists. But a handful of other executives have been in power for at least five seasons.

Here is how long every GM or de facto GM has been in place with his respective franchise:

  1. Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys): April 18, 1989[1]
  2. Mike Brown (Cincinnati Bengals): August 5, 1991[2]
  3. Bill Belichick (New England Patriots): January 27, 2000[3]
  4. Mickey Loomis (New Orleans Saints): May 14, 2002
  5. John Schneider (Seattle Seahawks): January 19, 2010; signed extension in 2021
  6. Howie Roseman (Philadelphia Eagles): January 29, 2010; signed extension in 2022
  7. Les Snead (Los Angeles Rams): February 10, 2012; signed extension in 2019
  8. Steve Keim (Arizona Cardinals): January 8, 2013; signed extension in 2022
  9. Tom Telesco (Los Angeles Chargers): January 9, 2013; signed extension in 2018
  10. Jason Licht (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): January 21, 2014; signed extension in 2021
  11. Chris Grier (Miami Dolphins): January 4, 2016[4]
  12. Jon Robinson (Tennessee Titans): January 14, 2016; signed extension in 2022
  13. John Lynch (San Francisco 49ers): January 29, 2017; signed extension in 2020
  14. Chris Ballard (Indianapolis Colts): January 30, 2017; signed extension in 2021
  15. Brandon Beane (Buffalo Bills): May 9, 2017; signed extension in 2020
  16. Brett Veach (Kansas City Chiefs): July 11, 2017; signed extension in 2020
  17. Brian Gutekunst (Green Bay Packers): January 7, 2018
  18. Eric DeCosta (Baltimore Ravens): January 7, 2019
  19. Joe Douglas (New York Jets): June 7, 2019
  20. Andrew Berry (Cleveland Browns): January 27, 2020
  21. Nick Caserio (Houston Texans): January 5, 2021
  22. George Paton (Denver Broncos): January 13, 2021
  23. Scott Fitterer (Carolina Panthers): January 14, 2021
  24. Brad Holmes (Detroit Lions): January 14, 2021
  25. Terry Fontenot (Atlanta Falcons): January 19, 2021
  26. Trent Baalke (Jacksonville Jaguars): January 21, 2021
  27. Martin Mayhew (Washington Commanders): January 22, 2021
  28. Joe Schoen (New York Giants): January 21, 2022
  29. Ryan Poles (Chicago Bears): January 25, 2022
  30. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (Minnesota Vikings): January 26, 2022
  31. Dave Ziegler (Las Vegas Raiders): January 30, 2022
  32. Omar Khan (Pittsburgh Steelers): May 24, 2022

Footnotes:

  1. Jones has been the Cowboys’ de facto general manager since former GM Tex Schramm resigned in April 1989.
  2. Brown has been the Bengals’ de facto GM since taking over as the team’s owner in August 1991.
  3. Belichick has been the Patriots’ de facto GM since shortly after being hired as the team’s head coach in January 2000.
  4. Although Grier was hired in 2016, he became the Dolphins’ top football exec on Dec. 31, 2018

Bills Interview Brandon Hunt For Assistant GM Job

May 17th, 2022 at 9:03pm CST by Ben Levine

With Joe Schoen moving a few hours south, Brandon Beane and the rest of the Bills front office are hunting for an assistant GM. At least one candidate has emerged. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter), the Bills interviewed Steelers Pro Scouting Coordinator Brandon Hunt for the job.

Hunt is also up for two jobs in Pennsylvania at the moment. He is in contention for a high-ranking gig in the Eagles’ front office, and he’s a candidate to replace Kevin Colbert in Pittsburgh. Hunt also met with the Raiders about their GM vacancy this offseason.

Hunt is in his second stint with the Steelers, having interned for the organization back in 2005 before returning in 2010. He’s well regarded within the front office, and he’s held a role that requires a deep knowledge of the NFL player pool. He was the assumed successor to Colbert, and this Bills gig is likely contingent on how that hiring process ends up working out. On the flip side, Hunt probably wouldn’t be taking an interview for a lesser opportunity unless he was confident he wasn’t getting the Steelers job.

Schoen left to be the Giants GM this offseason, and Beane is now looking for a replacement. There’s a chance more candidates emerge, although the list currently consists of only Hunt.

NFLPA Exec Bashes Bills GM For Vaccine Comments

May 19th, 2021 at 9:06am CST by Zachary Links

Back in May, Bills GM Brandon Beane said that he would release players who refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Soon after, the league office got in touch with Beane to let him know that teams cannot cut players solely for that reason. Now, NFLPA chief exec DeMaurice Smith has weighed in with his thoughts. 

[RELATED: NFL Says Teams Can’t Cut Players For Refusing Vaccine]

“When a general manager speaks out and says something that is not only inconsistent with league policy, but just has a rank disregard for the rights of our players, I don’t know any other way of characterizing that other than just the stupidity that underlines it,” Smith said (via Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal.)

Given the NFL’s clarification, Smith probably doesn’t have much to worry about on this front. Still, his comments show that the players’ union will be keeping a watchful eye on the waiver wire for any questionable cuts.

Beane’s comments raise a number of questions about a player’s personal right to say no to the vaccine. Beyond that, one has to wonder how the NFL would handle this type of situation in practice. What happens if a team cuts someone for refusing the vaccine while citing their performance as the reason for the release? In that case, the union would face an uphill battle.

NFL: Teams Can’t Cut Players For Refusing Vaccine

May 7th, 2021 at 12:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this week, Bills GM Brandon Beane caused a stir by saying that he would release players who refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Since then, the league has spoken with Beane to let him know that teams cannot cut players solely for not getting their shots (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero).

“Yeah, I would [cut them], because it would be an advantage,” Beane said on One Bills Live (via the New York Post). “I think there’s going to be some incentives if you have X -percent of your players and staff vaccinated. You can live normal…let’s just call it, back to the old days.”

“If you don’t, it’s going to look more like last year…I hope that, if those are the rules, we’ll be able to get enough people vaccinated and not have to deal with all the headaches from a year ago.”

The NFL has previously said that the vaccine would not be mandatory for players. However, players who do get vaccinated will have less restrictions put upon them, including distancing requirements.

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