The Bills are trying to work out a new agreement with pass rusher Jerry Hughes to keep him in Buffalo in 2015 and beyond, but the club would prefer not to resort to the franchise tag, as GM Doug Whaley explained this week, per John Kryk of the Toronto Sun.
“We’re trying to avoid that.” Whaley said. “Because we’re trying to get him long-term for sure … so they (can say), hey, we got a good deal, and we say as the Buffalo Bills we got a good deal.”
As Kryk points out, the franchise tag for Hughes would likely work out to close to $15MM for one year, which would mean the Bills would be paying their four defensive lineman nearly $50MM in 2015, which seems somewhat unpalatable. Restructuring Mario Williams‘ deal could provide a little cap relief, but Whaley said that’s not something the team is consider right now, though “it’s something in our back pocket.”
Let’s check out a few more notes from around the AFC East….
- Although the Bills are trying to re-sign C.J. Spiller, the team is also eyeing running backs, preparing for the possibility that Spiller departs in free agency, per Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News. Whaley expressed enthusiasm about the depth at running back in this year’s draft, but also didn’t rule out adding a back in free agency.
- Unsurprisingly, Darrelle Revis continues to be the Patriots‘ No. 1 priority, writes Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. According to Howe, while New England explores the possibility of reaching a new agreement with the cornerback, the team is being deliberate with its other offseason objectives.
- The Dolphins have met with the representatives for their own pending free agents this week, but there’s nothing major to report yet on that front, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald.