Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The Buffalo Bills have reportedly reached an extension with safety Jordan Poyer According to ESPN.
The Buffalo Bills have reportedly reached an extension with safety Jordan Poyer.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Poyer is now locked up with the Bills through the 2022 season:
The Bills have reached a two-year extension with safety Jordan Poyer, locking up one of their defensive leaders through 2022, according to a source.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 17, 2020
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According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Bills and linebacker Tyler Matakevich have agreed to a two-year deal worth $9 million:
The Bills haven’t slowed down a bit since making some blockbuster moves in the dying hours of Monday evening.
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Bills and linebacker Tyler Matakevich have agreed to a two-year deal worth $9 million:
Former #Steelers LB Tyler Matakevich to the #Bills, per his agents at @SPORTSTARSNYC. The special-teams ace gets a two-year deal worth up to $9 million.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 17, 2020
While listed as a linebacker, Matakevich will play a huge role on the Bills special teams unit. In his four-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he’s never played more than six percent of defensive snaps in a season. Last year he contributed 79 percent of special teams snaps, though.
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Addison, who previously played for the Panthers, landed a three-year deal in Buffalo.
The Bills have made their third roster move in the dying hours of Monday evening, adding defensive end Mario Addison.
Addison, 32, who previously played for the Panthers, landed a three-year deal in Buffalo per ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques. Terms of the deal have yet to be reported.
Addison entered the NFL in 2011 as an undrafted rookie and jumped around from the Bears to the Colts and finally to the Redskins before finding a long-term home in Carolina.
Addison played in Carolina since 2012, getting after it under the close watch of Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane, both of whom were also with the Panthers prior to joining the Bills.
In 126 career games, Addison has made 222 tackles and recorded 55 sacks. Since 2016, he’s notched at least nine sacks every season, recording 9.5, 11, nine, and 9.5 last season, respectively, over the past four years.
While Addison isn’t a younger replacement for Shaq Lawson, 25, who the Bills lost in free agency to the Dolphins earlier in the day, he’s still a talented player who can thrive in Buffalo. During his first five NFL seasons, he played in 19 total games, meaning his tread isn’t as bad as it could be. In addition, the Bills run a heavy rotation along their defensive line as well. For reference, Lawson only played in 47 percent of snaps on the Bills defense in 15 games played last season. Perhaps a system Addison can produce in.
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Buffalo Bills signed linebacker AJ Klein to a contract.
The Buffalo Bills have agreed to terms with linebacker AJ Klein on Monday. Klein won’t officially be signed until Wednesday when the NFL’s league year opens at 4 p.m.
Klein has previous played for the Saints and Panthers.
Former #Saints LB A.J. Klein agreed to terms with the #Bills, source said. 3 years, $18m. $9.7m fully guaranteed.
HC Sean McDermott coached him when he was DC with the #Panthers.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) March 17, 2020
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Buffalo Bills decline option on restricted free agent tender on Isaiah McKenzie contract, making him a free agent.
The Buffalo Bills may be moving on from wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the team declined his restricted free agent option.
By flexing that, the Bills would’ve had McKenzie, 24, under contract in 2020 for a $2 million price tag. Instead, McKenzie will now test the open market as a free agent.
McKenzie was a fifth-round draft pick of the Broncos in 2017. He struggled with fumbles in his career with the Broncos, and then did so with the Bills once the team signed him off of the waiver wire in November 2018.
McKenzie did flash an ability for the Bills to be used in a variety of ways though, both as a pass catcher and a rusher.
In 2019, McKenzie had 27 catches for 254 yards and a touchdown. He added 49 rushing yards on eight carries but was replaced by Andre Roberts as the team’s kick returner. McKenzie even played cornerback for a few snaps in the Bills’ season finale against the Jets when a couple of starters were resting.
McKenzie is set to explore the free agent market, but if he doesn’t get many offers, there’s still a chance the Bills could consider adding him as a depth option that competes for a spot in training camp, considering his versatility. The Bills love versatility in their players.
But considering the Bills did, at least for now, move on from McKenzie, it will be a curious situation to monitor. Do the Bills invest another free agent signing or draft pick in their wideout room to bolster the unit?
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According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the Bills will lose Lawson to their AFC rival, the Miami Dolphins.
The Buffalo Bills appear to be losing one of their top-defensive free agents, but they’re still going to be hearing from him.
According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the Bills will lose Lawson to their AFC rival, the Miami Dolphins.
The #Dolphins are expected to sign former #Bills first-round pass-rusher Shaq Lawson, sources say. He had 6.5 sacks last year and will help Miami affect the quarterback.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2020
Lawson’s deal is reportedly worth $10 million per season, a three-year, $30 million contract. The Bills previously declined his fifth-year option on his rookie contract last offseason, which made Lawson a free agent. Had Buffalo done so, they would have locked him up for one more year on a deal that would’ve been worth near $10 million.
Just hours prior to Lawson’s reported deal, an earlier report had suggested the Dolphins were interested in Lawson’s services. At the Bills’ locker cleanout day following their playoff loss to the Texans, the pass rusher said he’d be open to returning to the team. More recently he suggested wants more playing time or “opportunities” in the future.
The pass rusher had a career-high 6.5 sacks last season, a number which led his positional group. But Lawson only played in 47 percent of the team’s defensive snaps despite playing in 15 games. He also made no starts with the Bills. The Dolphins are likely going to play Lawson more than that, and hope that he’s going to produce more.
Lawson was also the final draft pick from the Bills’ previous front office, one led by general manager Doug Whaley, remaining on the team’s roster.
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ESPN Insider Jeremy Fowler reported that the Bills’ AFC East rivals, the Miami Dolphins, have showed “strong interest” in Shaq Lawson.
The Bills could lose Shaq Lawson as the NFL’s free agency tampering period got underway on Monday at noon. But that doesn’t mean they won’t see him again.
ESPN Insider Jeremy Fowler reported that the Bills’ AFC East rivals, the Miami Dolphins, have showed “strong interest” in him.
Lawson, 25, is a free agent after the Bills decided not to flex the fifth-year option on his rookie deal last offseason. At the team’s locker cleanout day, Lawson did say he’s open to returning to the Bills, but more recently suggested he wants more playing time or “opportunities” in the future.
The pass rusher had a career-high 6.5 sacks last season, a number which led his positional group. But Lawson only played in 47 percent of the team’s defensive snaps despite playing in 15 games. He also made no starts with the Bills.
Connecting the dots, it wouldn’t be surprising for Lawson to look into a one-year prove-it deal with a team that will want to give him more snaps. Lawson’s teammate and fellow free agent Jordan Phillips, did just that last year, and he’s in line for a big payday, too.
Lawson is also the final draft pick from the Bills’ previous front office, one led by general manager Doug Whaley, remaining on the team’s roster.
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The Bills’ path to potentially landing wide receiver AJ Green took a hit on Monday. With the deadline to franchise tag players approaching, the Bengals did exactly that, tagging Green, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The Bills’ path to potentially landing wide receiver AJ Green took a hit on Monday. With the deadline to franchise tag players approaching, the Bengals did exactly that, tagging Green, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
It was previously expected the Bengals would do so, but what’s remained to be seen is how Green reacts to the news. Green’s tagging is the first time since 2013 the Bengals have tagged a player.
If the Bengals want to re-sign Green to longer deal, they’ll now have until July 15 to do so, or else Green will play the 2020 season on the tag. While most players don’t like the franchise tag because they want long-term contracts, Green will play for approximately $18 million next year. So he won’t be mad about that part.
While players will sometimes derail a situation once being franchise tagged, Green doesn’t seem to be that type of individual who would try to get out of it by forcing a move. However, there was some speculation that he could have returned to the field in 2019 toward the end of the season, but opted not to. He missed the entire season with foot/ ankle injuries.
In terms of the Bengals, tagging Green is likely a move for their No. 1 overall pick, which is going to be LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. Not a bad receiver for him to have. Someone Bills quarterback Josh Allen could have benefited from as well.
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In recent years the Bills have landed some great value free agents and we’ll certainly see Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane tap into those types of players once again.
Despite the recent swing in daily life across the country in the past week, the NFL’s free agency period will go on as planned.
On Monday at noon, teams can start making deals with players, but those deals cannot be finalized until Wednesday at 4 p.m. We’re in for a bumpy ride in the rumor mill in the coming days.
In recent years the Bills have landed some great value free agents and we’ll certainly see Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane tap into those types of players once again. But this time around, could the Bills be suitors for some of the big fish on the market? Buffalo does currently enter this week with $75.5 million in salary cap space, third-most in the NFL per Spotrac.
With that, here are six high-profile free agents the Bills could realistically target and land in the coming days:
Age: 26
Breshad Perriman is a breakout candidate that some team will take a chance on. As a former first-round pick, his rookie season was derailed by injury with the Ravens and then he had three-straight disappointing campaigns that followed. In 2019, his fortunes changed.
As that season went on for the Buccaneers, he saw more and more playing time. Perriman, 26, turned into a vertical threat last season as he notched 36 catches, 645 yards and six touchdowns, all career-highs. In addition to his solid 6-foot-2 frame, Perriman also ran a 40-yard dash time of somewhere between 4.19 seconds and 4.25 at his pro day, and Perriman seemed to have fixed any problems he had with dropping the ball. Over the past two seasons, he only has one drop, according to Pro Football Focus.
Overall, Perriman’s had more tough times in his career than good ones. But his final three-game stretch in 2019, one which saw him grab 17 catches for 349 yards with four touchdowns will cause one team to add a few more digits to his contract for next season. Exactly how many is to be determined, but it’s certainly a contract the Bills could fit.
The Buffalo Bills hosted linebacker Christian Kirksey on a free agent visit last week. The team he visited with prior to that was apparently too tempting to turn down.
The Buffalo Bills hosted linebacker Christian Kirksey on a free agent visit last week. The team he visited with prior to that was apparently too tempting to turn down.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter via his agent, Kirksey has signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Packers on Monday. While the NFL’s league year doesn’t begin until Wednesday for players on expiring contracts, Kirksey is able to actually sign before then because his former team, the Browns, already released him.
Some projected Kirksey, 27, as the type of player that could fill the shoes of the recently-retired Lorenzo Alexander in Buffalo’s defense. Instead, Kirksey will reunite with his former head coach in Cleveland, Mike Pettine, who’s now the Packers defensive coordinator, the same role he once held with the Bills.
What also might have made the difference between the two options is the payday Kirksey got, perhaps a sum that was a little higher than some projected for him because of the time he’s missed due to injury in recent seasons. He only played in two games in 2019 and in the past two seasons combine, only nine of a possible 32.
Along with visiting the Packers and Bills, Kirksey also reportedly had his first visit with the Raiders.
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