Former Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus is going to hit the free agent market.
The 29-year-old former third-overall pick of the Bills in 2011 is expected to have the option on his contract decline by his current team, the Jaguars, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The Bills traded Dareus to the Jags in 2017 for a conditional fifth-round pick. Dareus’ move to the Jags was apart of the “house cleaning” made by the Bills’ current front office in their first year at the helm, a group led by general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott.
During his time with the Jags, Dareus was a positive influence on their defense as a run stopped, accumulating 45 tackles and 2.5. The two sides could still come to an agreement on a new deal, however, there are no reports of such a situation coming up just yet.
Once official, the Jags will save $20 million towards their salary cap in 2020 but not picking up Dareus’ option. In 2015, the Bills gave Dareus a six-year, $95.1 million contract, but he restructured his contract in February 2019.
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