Category: AFC East news

AFC East: Jets trade former No. 2 pick Zach Wilson to Broncos for late pick

Goodbye, Zach:

The New York Jets have officially cut ties with quarterback Zach Wilson.

The Jets have traded the QB, who was the No. 2 overall pick of the team at the 2021 NFL draft, to the Denver Broncos.

In addition to Wilson, New York shipped a 2024 seventh-round pick (256) to Denver. The Jets have acquired a 2024 sixth-rounder (203) in the deal.

Wilson started 33 games in New York, completing 57 percent of his passes for 6,293 yards with 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. The Jets will now move forward with Aaron Rodgers.

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Wilson is entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract. Before the trade, he was set to have a salary cap hit of $11.18 million in 2024. The Jets agreed to split his guaranteed camp roster bonus ($4.39 million), according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

The Broncos now have Wilson, Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci in their quarterback room. Selecting a QB at the upcoming 2024 NFL draft is not off the table for Denver with the Wilson deal, but due to the low financial ties, he’s likely locked into a roster spot for 2024.

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AFC East: Jets acquire pass rusher Haason Reddick from Eagles

An addition in the AFC East:

The New York Jets have bolstered their pass rush over the weekend in a notable way.

The Jets have acquired edge defender Haason Reddick in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.

New York is sending the Eagles a conditional third-round pick in 2026 that can become a second. The pick improves if Reddick plays at least 67.5 percent of the defensive snaps and records at least 10 sacks this season.

Ironically enough, the Eagles signed former Jets pass rusher Bryce Huff this offseason. The two now essentially switch places.

Reddick has hit double-digit sacks in each of the last four seasons.

While it’s no guarantee that Reddick will keep up those numbers in New York, it’s an acquisition Buffalo will be aware of. Not only have their rivals acquired a top talent who now joins Jermaine Johnson, Will McDonald, John Franklin-Myers and Micheal Clemons on the edge… there is also plus Quinnen Williams in the middle.

Reddick will eventually learn of there being no love lost between these two teams as well. Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins has notably gotten into fights with the Jets defense both on and off the field since the 2023 season.

Having said that… Reddick and Dawkins both attended Temple University.

Reddick, 29, has faced the Bills three times in his career. He has two QB hits and half a sack in those outings.

The rivalry might grow even larger with Reddick’s addition.

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AFC East: Dolphins lose top defender Christian Wilkins in free agency

AFC East: Dolphins lose top defender Christian Wilkins in free agency”

The Miami Dolphins have lost one of their best players over the opening week of the NFL’s 2024 free agency period.

Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins is no longer an AFC East rival of the Buffalo Bills. He signed a four-year, $110 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Wilkins played in 10 games against the Bills during his time in Miami. He had a sack and two forced fumbles in that time. Wilkins recorded a career-high nine sacks last season.

What he’s most known for is a spat he had with Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen.

Back in 2022, Allen ripped off Wilkins’ helmet on a play… but there was also commentary about Wilkins potentially grabbing the QB in the groin area during a pileup.

But in the end, the two evidently buried the hatchet. Allen and Wilkins went on to exchange compliments ahead of Buffalo and Miami’s first meeting in 2023.

Even so, Allen and the Bills will likely enjoy not seeing Wilkins twice a year moving forward.

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AFC East news: Mac Jones era ends, Patriots trade away QB

The #Bills will face a new #Patriots QB in 2024:

A new era is set to begin for the New England Patriots under center.

The Patriots have traded quarterback Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The transaction was announced on Monday, the first day of the NFL’s free agency period.

New England selected Jones out of Alabama in the first-round of the 2021 NFL draft. Now Jones will serve as backup to Trevor Lawrence, who was the No. 1 overall selection in that same draft.

Jones only fetched the Pats a sixth rounder in return.

After a Pro Bowl rookie season, Jones’ career fell off a cliff under coach Bill Belichick. New England has already moved on from him as well. Jerod Mayo is now the new bench boss in New England.

Jones finished last year with 2,120 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He was eventually benched for Bailey Zappe.

The Patriots own the No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft and they’ll likely use it on a quarterback.

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Rumored Bills free agent target Kendrick Bourne re-signs with Patriots

Rumored #Bills free agent target Kendrick Bourne re-signs with #Patriots:

Kendrick Bourne to the Buffalo Bills is no more.

Bourne was a rumored to be a potential target for the Bills this week as free agency opens in the NFL. However, Bourne has decided to stay put.

According to Patriots Wire, Bourne inked a three-year, $19.5 million deal in New England.

Bourne is coming off of an ACL injury. He recently said to NFL Network he’s expecting to be ready by the 2024 season opener. Bourne also expressed a desire to return to New England in that same interview so it’s not shocking to see him back with the Pats.

Prior to injury, the 28-year-old caught 37 passes for 406 yards and four touchdowns in eight games last season. His best season came in 2021 in New England, where Bourne had 55 catches for 800 yards with five touchdowns.

Before playing in New England, Bourne spent the first four years of his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners signed him as an undrafted rookie following the 2017 NFL draft.

Follow Bills Wire’s free agency tracker for all updates throughout the coming days.

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AFC East news: Zach Wilson given permission to seek trade from Jets

AFC East news: Zach Wilson given permission to seek trade from #Jets:

The Zach Wilson era with the New York Jets is over.

At the 2024 NFL scouting combine, New York general manager Joe Douglas confirmed that.

According to reports including Jets Wire, Douglas said he gave Wilson and his agent the green light for him to seek a trade.

While it remains to be seen if someone trades for Wilson, he’s likely played his last snap with Gang Green.

If there is no trade partner around, New York is likely going to cut him at this point. It would make no sense to keep a player on your roster when you’ve already shown him the door–What incentive would he have to play?

However, trading Wilson would be much easier for the Jets’ salary cap situation. That is the expected route to be taken.

Wilson was expected to back up Aaron Rodgers in the 2023 season, but was thrust back into the starting role after Rodgers tore his Achilles in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills. Wilson struggled and was eventually benched before going back in.

Wilson has a 12-21 record in his career with the Jets. New York selected him second overall at the 2021 NFL draft.

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AFC East news: Former Bills QB Alex Van Pelt named Patriots offensive coordinator

AFC East news: Former #Bills QB Alex Van Pelt named #Patriots offensive coordinator:

Former Bills quarterback (and coach) Alex Van Pelt has been hired by the Patriots as their offensive coordinator.

According to Patriots Wire, as many as 10 candidates were interviewed for the position before the Van Pelt decision was made.

Earlier this offseason, Jerod Mayo was tabbed as Bill Belichick’s replacement as head coach of the Patriots. In recent years, the offensive side of the ball has struggled. Van Pelt will have his work cut out for him.

Van Pelt was a longtime quarterback for the Bills as a player from 1994 to 2003. As a coach, he sunk his NFL teeth in that career path with the Bills as well. From 2006 to 2009, Van Pelt held various assistant roles on Dick Jauron’s coaching staff, including offensive coordinator.

Van Pelt has also gone on to coach with the Buccaneers, Packers, Bengals and Browns. In his most-recent stop, Van Pelt was the Browns offensive coordinator for the past four seasons.

He was fired following the Browns’ postseason loss to the Texans this year.

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Patriots promote Jerod Mayo to replace Bill Belichick as head coach

#Patriots promote Jerod Mayo to replace Bill Belichick as head coach:

The decision to replace perhaps the most irreplaceable head coach in pro football history didn’t take long. One day after the press conference in which New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and former head coach Bill Belichick made public their decision to part ways, the Patriots tabbed Jerod Mayo to be their next head man.

It’s certainly an organizational hire. The Patriots selected Mayo in the first round of the 2008 draft out of Tennessee, and Mayo played linebacker for Belichick’s defenses through the 2015 season. The 2008 Defensive Rookie of the Year, Mayo went to two Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro in 2010.

Once his playing career was over, Mayo became the team’s inside linebackers coach in 2019. He had become a mainstay under Belichick, and there were agreements in place for Mayo to replace Belichick when the time had come.

Mayo, who is 37 years old, takes the title of youngest NFL head coach from Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams, who is a month older.

Per Mark Daniels of Masslive.com, the players were already publicly endorsing Mayo for the job over more high-profile candidates.

“He’d be a coach I want to play for. I’d run through a wall for him,” edge rusher Josh Uche said. “I love players’ coaches. Guys that take it deeper than the X’s and O’s. It’s more personal. You want to go out and do a good job because you know you have someone behind you who’s backing and supporting you. I’m all in on Mayo.”

“Man, he’d be a really great head coach,” defensive tackle Christian Barmore added. “He’d be a funny guy. He understands players. He teaches players. He’s everything a player would want.”

The Patriots are in heavy transition now, but they’re in good shape to take that on. They have the third overall pick in a quarterback-heavy draft and an estimated $56 million in salary cap space for 2024.

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AFC East news: Bill Belichick, Patriots part ways after 24 seasons

A new era in the AFC East:

After nearly a quarter of a century, the greatest coach in pro football history is looking for a new home. Per multiple reports, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots have agreed to part ways.

The writing was on the wall after a 4-13 season in 2003 in which the Patriots had no offensive firepower, but still put a quality defense on the field. That was Belichick’s legacy — the quality defense part — but in Belichick’s four-year run without Tom Brady, the Patriots were never able to find a quarterback who could do anywhere near what Brady could do. The Patriots had just one winning season post-Brady, and that was not enough for owner Robert Kraft.

But in the end, it was Belichick’s all-encompassing genius that took the Patriots to a 302-165 regular-season record, a 31-13 postseason record, and six Super Bowls — the first at the end of the 2001 season, and the last at the end of the 2018 season. To do all that in an era of parity and free agency and constant schematic change is where Belichick has earned the right to call himself the greatest football coach ever.

“I’m going to do everything I can every day to do the best I can to help our football team,”  Belichick said on Monday in his final press conference as the team’s head coach. “That’s what I’ve always done. It’s never been any different for me in my career. I learned that lesson from my dad growing up. You work for the team that you’re working for and do the best you can for it, until somebody tells you different. So, that’s not going to change.”

Through all the wins, and all the controversies, Belichick has always been that day-after-day coach in the truest sense.

Belichick ends his New England tenure with 333 wins, placing him 14 behind Don Shula for the most by any coach in NFL history. We’ll have to see where that goal drives the 71-year-old Belichick from here.

AFC East roundup: What’s next for each divisional rival as 2023 season ends?

Here’s what’s next and a roundup for every team in the AFC East:

The Buffalo Bills’ 2023 regular season journey has come to an end.

The conclusion saw the Bills (11-6) take the 2023 AFC East title for the fourth-straight year.

Like Buffalo, the rest of the AFC East was in action… and their seasons all also came to an end.

We know what’s next for Buffalo: They’ll host the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC Wild-Card matchup. But what about the rest of the division? What happened to them and what’s next?

Here is a quick recap of all the action that went down in the AFC East with the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, and Patriots in Week 18 as well as an updated look at the divisional standings: