As the Ravens’ offensive coordinator search moves into the finalist stage, the team has met with a recently fired play-caller with a Super Bowl ring. Mentioned as a candidate, Byron Leftwich has indeed met with John Harbaugh about the job, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic tweets.
The four-year Bucs OC advanced to the finalist stage of the Jaguars’ head coaching search last year but backed out of the pursuit for that job. A year later, the Bucs canned him following a wildly disappointing season on offense. But Leftwich, whose initial three Tampa Bay offenses produced top-10 rankings in scoring, figures to have opportunities.
Leftwich has been let go twice thus far in his career; both instances came a year after Bruce Arians retirements. The Cardinals kept the Arians hire onboard in 2018 under Steve Wilks, and a Mike McCoy firing led to Leftwich’s promotion to offensive coordinator. The Cards’ struggled continued, with the team ranking last in scoring and total offense. Both Wilks and Leftwich were gone by season’s end. Arians brought his former quarterback charge to Tampa, and Leftwich turned his career around with the NFC South team.
Although Jameis Winston infamously completed the league’s first 30-30 season in 2019, the Bucs ranked third in both total offense and points. They actually dipped slightly in Tom Brady‘s first season, from a yardage standpoint, but Leftwich resided as the Bucs’ play-caller throughout his tenure. Arians obviously held a significant influence here, but the offense-minded HC delegated calls to his top offensive staffer. Brady bounced back after a down 2019 season, thriving in 2020 and ’21. The all-time great’s 2022 swoon preceded a retirement and Todd Bowlesfiring Leftwich.
The Bucs fell from second to 25th in scoring this past season, and both Bowles and Brady voiced concerns about Leftwich’s play-calling. The team’s run game was a particular disappointment, ranking as the worst per-game ground attack in league (76.9 yards per game) by nearly 10 yards. Despite the Bucs re-signing Leonard Fournette, the team rarely overcame its O-line issues and became a pass-reliant operation. Brady broke his own single-season completion record — set in 2021 — due to the imbalance.
It is unclear if Leftwich is a finalist for the job, but the Ravens have now spoken to 11 candidates. The Steelers also loom as a potential Leftwich landing spot.
The Jaguars took over the early stages of the 2022 free agent market, doling out big contracts to infuse a downtrodden team with talent. Those moves made a significant impact, helping key a surprise run to the divisional round. Money is tighter this year, and the Jags retaining their own might be the mission.
Interested in re-signingEvan Engram, the Jaguars also will have an opportunity to retain Jawaan Taylor. Jacksonville’s right tackle starter since he was drafted in the 2019 second round, Taylor said he wants to remain with the team. The 25-year-old blocker has never missed a game as a pro.
“Most definitely,” Taylor said, via the Florida Times-Union’s Tim Walters, on the subject of another Jaguars deal. “That’s the team that took the chance on me in the draft, and I’ve been there playing for four seasons now and I’m close to home. I’m two hours away from home, so being able to come back and play for Duval will be a lot of fun, so hopefully that will work out for me.”
After holding extensive cap space in 2022, the Jags are currently over the $224.8MM salary ceiling. Jacksonville is over by a substantial margin — $22MM-plus — and will need to make some roster moves to comply with the 2023 cap ahead of the new league year, which begins March 15. Taylor will likely be a player the Jags consider re-signing, given his consistent role on the despite the run of coaching changes. But a few complications exist.
Unlike Engram, however, this regime did not sign off on acquiring Taylor. The Trent Baalke–Doug Pederson duo signed Engram to a one-year deal in 2022; Taylor arrived during the Tom Coughlin–Dave Caldwell–Doug Marrone years. Pro Football Focus has never viewed Taylor as a plus option at tackle, slotting him in the bottom quartile at the position this year (69th overall) and never ranking him inside the top 40. An Engram franchise tag, which would be the fourth tight end tag over the past two offseasons, could also tie up Jags funds.
Working under Urban Meyer during the 2021 draft, Baalke was with the team when it drafted Walker Little in the second round. Little finished the season as the starting left tackle, after Cam Robinson went down. Taylor beat out Little for the right tackle job in training camp last year. The Jags have Trevor Lawrence tied to a rookie contract — for one more year, at least — but Robinson is already signed to an upper-echelon tackle deal (three years, $52.75MM). No team tied to a top-10 left tackle contract also has a high-end right tackle deal on its payroll.
Spotrac slots Taylor in position to command a $12MM-per-year pact, so his market will be worth monitoring. While the Browns’ Jack Conklin extension took a right tackle option off the free agency board, blockers like Mike McGlinchey and Kaleb McGary are on track to be available. It will be interesting to see how teams value Taylor, should the Jags pass on an extension ahead of the legal tampering period.
Although Sean Desai dropped off the defensive coordinator tier this season, the Seahawks assistant continues to generate interest for a second chance. The Broncos are now in play to bring him aboard.
The Broncos requested a DC interview with Desai, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This request could very well lead to a hire. Desai has informed the Vikings he is withdrawing from their DC search, Mike Klis of 9News adds (on Twitter), noting the former Vic Fangio lieutenant wants to concentrate on the Broncos job. Desai interviewed for the Minnesota gig early last week.
Fangio was connected to Sean Payton this offseason, but a return to Denver so soon after being fired never seemed realistic. That said, Klis adds Fangio recommended the Broncos to Desai. The 39-year-old assistant spent the 2021 season as Chicago’s DC and worked under Pete Carroll and fellow Fangio disciple Clint Hurtt this season in Seattle.
Fangio making recommendations regarding the Broncos would seem to carry some weight, given his coordinator pedigree and Payton’s view of the new Dolphins defensive boss. Desai was with the Bears for nine seasons, four of those coming under Fangio’s leadership on the defensive side. The Bears promoted him from the quality control level to safeties coach once Fangio departed for Denver, and after Chuck Pagano stepped down, Desai received the promotion to DC.
Desai’s season in charge led to a No. 6 ranking in total defense, despite Khalil Mack missing more than half the season. Robert Quinn also broke Richard Dent‘s longstanding single-season sack record. The Bears went 6-11 in Matt Nagy‘s final year, and the franchise changed regimes in January 2022. Desai would represent some continuity for the Broncos, who used Fangio concepts under Ejiro Evero this season.
Evero remains in contention for the job, speaking with Payton about staying. Broncos management supports a Payton-Evero alliance. But the Desai development would seem to further distance the incumbent from a second season. Desai withdrawing from Minnesota’s search may also give the NFC North team a chance to interview Evero, which it sought earlier this week. Evero is under contract with the Broncos, but if Payton is zeroing in on an outside hire, they would be unlikely to block their 2022 DC from another interview. Denver did block Evero from interviewing for Atlanta’s DC post, but that came before Payton’s arrival.
After 13 years in the college game, Todd Grantham will come back to the NFL. The veteran college defensive coordinator will take a position on Dennis Allen‘s Saints staff, Chris Low of ESPN.com tweets.
Grantham spent the 2022 season at Alabama and interviewed for their DC job, but he will join Bill O’Brien in moving from the Crimson Tide’s staff to the pros during this year’s hiring period. The Saints have moved on from both of their co-DCs from last season — Ryan Nielsen, Kris Richard — but Grantham replacing them would be a slight upset.
The Saints are believed to have complied with the Rooney Rule for coordinators, interviewing former Browns and Broncos DC Joe Woods on Friday, but Grantham has not been an NFL DC since he served as such on Romeo Crennel‘s Cleveland staff from 2005-07. Grantham last worked in the pros in 2009, finishing out a two-year stay under Wade Phillips as Dallas’ defensive line coach. The New Orleans position will be a defensive assistant role, Low adds.
Grantham, 56, does have considerable experience as a college DC. He was in that role for Florida, Mississippi State, Louisville and Georgia from 2010-21. He worked as an analyst on Nick Saban’s staff last year. Grantham coached exclusively in the NFL from 1999-2009, working mostly as a D-line coach. Allen could be keen on moving him into that role; Nielsen had coached Saints D-linemen for the past six years.
The Saints also tried to hire Grantham in 2013, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.football notes (via Twitter), considering him for their DC role — one that ended up going to Rob Ryan. Grantham also removed his name from consideration for the Bengals’ DC post in 2019; Cincinnati hired Lou Anarumo.
The Gators ranked in the top 20 in scoring defense in each of Grantham’s first two seasons but dropped off over his final two campaigns. Although Florida’s defense produced the third-most sacks (158) in Division I-FBS during Grantham’s Gainesville run, Dan Mullen fired Grantham toward the end of the 2021 season. Grantham also oversaw a top-25 defensive performance at Louisville in his first season at the ACC program and has been in coaching since 1990.
Five years after their Josh McDaniels-to-Frank Reich pivot, the Colts are again conducting a rather interesting head coaching search. This process may well produce an unusual stage.
Indianapolis potentially planning a third round on HC interviews, after holding 12-hour meetings — in some cases — with candidates during the second round, adds a memorable wrinkle to its search to replace Reich. A third round of a coaching search has not happened in at least 40 years, Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star notes. GM Chris Ballard has run the search, but Jim Irsay will make the call. Where will this search end up?
Almost everyone involved in this Indy journey has been mentioned as a finalist or scheduled a second interview. Dan Quinnhopped off the ride midway through, doing so hours after he scheduled a second meeting about the position. Ben Johnson backed out after his virtual interview, staying with the Lions. Giants OC Mike Kafka also has not been mentioned as being summoned for a second meeting. DeMeco Ryanscancelled his virtual interview and chose the Texans over the Broncos. Jim Harbaugh was mentioned as a candidate in December, but the ex-Colts QB did not interview. Otherwise, this search remains one of the most wide open in memory.
Rich Bisaccia, Brian Callahan, Ejiro Evero, Aaron Glenn, Don Martindale, Raheem Morris, Jeff Saturday and Shane Steichen have either gone through a second interview or will do so soon. Eric Bieniemy and Colts special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone have also been mentioned as potential finalists, though neither is believed to have scheduled a second meeting.
This search has produced the rare mix of all three phases, with Bisaccia and Ventrone representing the special teams wing. Ventrone, 40, was Reich’s ST coordinator throughout the latter’s HC tenure, while Bisaccia, 62, is the rare interim HC to have guided his team to the playoffs. The Raiders passed on Bisaccia, leading him to Green Bay. Could he join John Harbaugh as a former ST coordinator to become a head coach?
Irsay went offense twice in 2018, hiring McDaniels and then Reich. This year’s lot of OCs in contention includes Andy Reid‘s right-hand man. Ballard and Bieniemy worked together in Kansas City for four years, and since Ballard left for Indiana, Bieniemy has become Reid’s top lieutenant. Of course, that has famously not led to a head coaching opportunity. Both Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy earned HC chances as Reid’s HC, but teams have paused on Bieniemy, 53. After this latest Chiefs attack led the NFL in offensive DVOA despite trading Tyreek Hill, will the Colts be the team that goes with the oft-bypassed candidate?
Callahan and Steichen are the only other offense-based candidates linked to having paths to the job. Steichen is just 37 and worked with Reich during the future Colts leader’s time as Chargers OC. Ex-Reich lieutenant Nick Sirianni gave Steichen the play-calling reins midway through last season, and it made a major difference in the Eagles’ trajectory. Philadelphia led the NFL in rushing in 2021 and has produced a top-three attack this year, as Jalen Hurts has made considerable strides as a passer. Callahan, 38, does not call plays in Cincinnati but is a candidate for both the Colts and Cardinals’ HC gigs. Joe Burrow is primed to book one of Zac Taylor‘s assistants a promotion, and Callahan is this year’s candidate.
Evero, 42, leads the league in connections to jobs during this year’s cycle, being summoned by all five HC-seeking teams for interviews and being pursued for DC gigs. It appears the Broncos’ DC will land on his feet, despite Nathaniel Hackett‘s one-and-done, and Denver remains interested in keeping him. The Rams also have Evero in mind as a Morris contingency plan. Morris, 46, would be a second-chance HC, but the ex-Buccaneers leader’s first chance came more than 10 years ago. He has rebuilt his stock in Los Angeles, helping the Rams to a Super Bowl LVI win, and Sean McVay staffers are quite popular on coaching carousels. Morris also has a near-three-month run as an interim leader under his belt, having replaced Quinn with the 2020 Falcons.
Martindale, 59 is believed to have interviewed well in his second meeting (the Irsay stage), and he played a key role in the Giants making a surprising surge to the divisional round. He coached the Ravens to three top-five defensive finishes in four DC seasons. Glenn, 50, started late in coaching due to his playing career spanning 16 seasons. The ex-cornerback joins Evero and Callahan as Cards candidates.
Saturday, of course, is the main variable here. Irsay stunned the NFL by hiring the former Pro Bowl center as his interim coach, pulling him off various ESPN sets and onto the sideline. Saturday, 47, won his first game but oversaw a brutal stretch in the weeks that followed. The Colts lost their final seven games and blew an NFL-record 33-point lead during that stretch. While Irsay’s unorthodox choice appeared to backfire, the owner bypassed advice against hiring Saturday in November and is believed to be receiving similar counsel now. Will the Irsay-Saturday partnership somehow continue? The 1-7 record aside, he has consistently been mentioned as a live candidate. With the Panthers passing on Steve Wilks, no interim HC has been promoted in six years.
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FEBRUARY 3: Monken has reached the second-interview stage with the Ravens, who are going through a thorough search to fill their offensive coordinator post. The Ravens will meet with the Georgia OC for a second time Friday, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Monken joins Seahawks quarterbacks coach Dave Canales and Justin Outtenas finalists for the Ravens’ play-calling position.
Outten, who made the leap from Packers tight ends coach to Broncos OC last year, has also advanced to the finals of this pursuit, Garafolo adds (on Twitter). That meeting is expected for next week. The Broncos’ 32nd-ranked offense has thus far not hurt the key principals behind that attack, with Nathaniel Hackett landing the Jets’ OC job and Outten in play to replace Roman. The Broncos initially passed over Outten for play-calling duties; Hackett gave QBs coach Klint Kubiak the reins amid the offense’s persistent struggles. But Outten called Denver’s plays in the final two weeks.
JANUARY 28: For the second straight year, the Ravens could turn to the college ranks to fill a coordinator vacancy. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter), the Ravens interviewed Georgia offensive coordinator ToddMonken for their own OC job this week.
Monken had recent stints as the Buccaneers and Browns offensive coordinator before joining Georgia as their offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2020. Per Pelissero, the 56-year-old has been looking to return to the NFL, and he should have a good opportunity this offseason. We heard yesterday that the Buccaneers also interviewed Monken for their offensive coordinator vacancy.
Monken was a potential NFL head coach candidate in 2019. Following his one-and-done stint in Cleveland, he joined a Georgia squad that has since won back-to-back national championships. Georgia has ranked as a top-10 offense nationally in each of the past two seasons, and the SEC powerhouse is paying the coach accordingly; per the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud (on Twitter), Monken earns the highest salary among college assistants ($2.01MM).
The Ravens and OC Greg Roman parted ways following the team’s playoff loss. A number of names have emerged as potential candidates for the open positoon, including:
Brian Flores remains in the running for the Cardinals’ head coaching position, but teams have reached out to the Steelers assistant about defensive coordinator roles. The Broncos have joined that list.
Sean Payton‘s team has requested a DC interview with Flores, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This comes on the heels of a multi-day discussion with Ejiro Everoabout staying on as Denver’s DC. While the Evero path may not be closed, the Broncos are now considering outside options as well. Evero indeed remains in the running for the position, Mike Klis of 9News tweets, but Payton is also exploring outside hires.
The Broncos and Flores have a unique past, which could complicate a hire. Flores included the team in his ongoing racial discrimination lawsuit. The former Dolphins HC included the Broncos as one of the original teams in the suit, alleging then-GM John Elway arrived for his 2019 HC interview an hour late and hungover. The Broncos called Flores’ account “blatantly false.”
Payton and George Paton are now in charge in Denver, with the latter’s role somewhat foggy given the team’s recent high-profile HC hire. Flores, who spent the 2022 season as the Steelers’ linebackers coach, has interviewed for the Falcons and Vikings’ DC positions thus far. He also met with the Saints last year about succeeding Payton, but New Orleans went with Dennis Allen.
The moving parts here certainly supply intrigue. Evero has interviewed for all five HC positions, but Broncos management wants him to remain the team’s DC. With Nathaniel Hackett hire still under contract, the Broncos blocked him from joining Flores in interviewing for the Falcons’ DC post. Ex-Payton staffer Ryan Nielsen has since filled it. Evero also joins Flores in being on Minnesota’s DC radar, but the Broncos could block that interview as well. Payton passing on Evero, of course, would open the door to that Vikings meeting going through.
Bill Belichick‘s de facto DC in 2018, Flores played a lead role in the Patriots securing their sixth Super Bowl championship. The Pats held the Rams to three points in Super Bowl LIII, becoming the second team to keep a Super Bowl opponent out of the end zone. This performance paved the way to Flores’ Miami hire. That produced two winning seasons and a rather notable 5-11 campaign — after the Dolphins gutted their roster amid a rebuild effort — that became the subject of an NFL investigation after Flores alleged Stephen Ross offered bribes for 2019 losses.
The league did not punish Ross as a result of Flores’ allegations, but it did strip the Dolphins of first- and third-round picks for attempting to replace Flores with Payton. The Payton-Tom Brady tampering scandal could conceivably loom as a factor in a Flores-Broncos partnership as well, adding another wrinkle to what would be one of the more interesting DC interviews in recent memory.
Just less than five weeks remain until the deadline for teams to apply franchise tags. The Giants have until 3pm CT on March 7 to use their tag, and barring an unlikely scenario in which both Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley are extended before that point, one of the team’s offensive cornerstones will be tagged.
Joe Schoen has been clear the team plans to retain Jones, and while the second-year GM did not waver from that stance this week at the Senior Bowl, he indicated conversations have not yet begun with the team’s four-year starting quarterback. Schoen, however, confirmed (via the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz) the Giants have resumed extension talks with Barkley. Schoen said he held discussions with Barkley’s camp this week and will continue to do so upon returning to New York next week.
The team prioritized Barkley in talks during its November bye week, but Schoen has since indicated the sides did not come close to a deal at that point. The Giants did submit an offer — roughly $12.5MM per year — and Schwartz notes the extension proposal is believed to be for three years. Barkley’s camp turned it down, seeking a contract closer to the running back ceiling. Though, Barkley said last month he was not looking to reset the running back market. Considering Barkley’s value to the Giants and Christian McCaffrey‘s market-topping pact ($16MM AAV) being signed in April 2020, Barkley pushing for a comparable deal makes sense. But the Giants do not appear inclined to go that high.
The Giants should not be expected to move much further north of the $12.5MM-range offer, Schwartz adds, but the prospect of a Barkley tag is cloudy. The Giants will not want a $10.1MM running back cap number on its payroll, per Schwartz, but ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan notes the team would prefer to knock a Jones contract out and save the tag for Barkley. The latter course here would be the best way for the Giants to manage their funds while ensuring both Jones and Barkley return. A Jones tag would cost $32.42MM, thus comprising much of Big Blue’s cap space.
Maligned for years, Jones is now the team’s priority. He will be set to become the first quarterback in the fifth-year option era to re-sign with a team — via a long-term deal or the tag — after it declined his option. The Giants could have pushed Jones’ rookie contract out to 2023 by exercising the $22.4MM option. Instead, they are likely looking at a deal beyond the $30MM-per-year point. The Giants should be expected to value Jones in the $35MM-per-year range, via Schwartz. Although Jones’ late-season value rise can be partially attributed to the Vikings’ woeful defense, the Giants have turned around on the Dave Gettleman-era draftee.
“We want Daniel back,” Schoen said. “We haven’t started conversations with his people yet. Once we get into it in terms of years, contract structure, finances, I’m not really sure where they’re gonna be, what they’re asking for, we’re still working on where we’d want to start so until we get into the actual negotiations I really won’t have a good sense for years, money.”
Barkley is certainly better at his position than Jones is at his, but quarterback value obviously dwarfs the importance of backfield stalwarts. The Giants also have other needs, including potentially multiple wide receiver additions. The draft will be an avenue for New York here, but Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer expects the team to pursue wideouts in free agency (video link).
Darius Slayton‘s contract expires in March, and while the Giants have exclusive negotiating rights with the former fifth-round pick, the new regime figures to also explore the market. This free agency class does not profile as a particularly enticing receiver lot, but complementary-type targets will be available. Jakobi Meyers, DJ Chark, Allen Lazard and JuJu Smith-Schuster represent the top contingent of mid-20-somethings on track for free agency. Parris Campbell brings an extensive injury history, but the ex-Colts second-rounder surpassed 600 receiving yards for a bad offense this season.
Monitoring a Giants-Odell Beckham Jr. pursuit will be necessary as well. Beckham made his initial NFL team his first visit in December, and though the OBJ sweepstakes did not produce a deal, the Cowboys and Rams are likely to dive back into this market. Beckham turned 30 in November and missed the season, but he remains close to ex-Giants teammates Barkley and Sterling Shepard (the latter is also a UFA-to-be). The Giants passed on adding receivers via trade before the deadline, but despite Isaiah Hodgins‘ stretch-run production, this remains a glaring need. The team also has second-round pick Wan’Dale Robinson rehabbing an ACL tear.
The Patriots offense was in disarray in 2022, and Andrew Callahan and Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald provided us with a peek behind the dysfunctional curtain. According to the report, the Patriots’ season was filled with tension on the offensive side of the ball, particularly between Mac Jones and coach JoeJudge.
The issues started in the spring, when Jones irked Patriots brass by indicating that he would be teaching the offense to his new quarterbacks coach. While the players and coaches would ultimately work together “in good faith,” the team was unable to overcome the shortcomings of Judge and de facto offensive coordinator MattPatricia. The duo tried a simplified approach to Sean McVay’s offense in Los Angeles, but this resulted in an incomplete and underwhelming catalogue of plays.
“A lot of guys were getting worried because when we were in the middle of camp, we were wondering what the plan was for our offense. Because we hadn’t put enough install in,” a source told the Boston Herald. “We had a couple protections, a couple core run plays, but our pass game didn’t have much in it.”
While Patricia seemed to garner most of the criticism, the Boston Herald points a finger at Judge. BillBelichick would later phase Judge out of the offense, but not before frustrations boiled over. Per the report, both Jones and Belichick got into shouting matches with the former special teams coordinator, and there were even occasions where positional coaches would have to correct Judge’s mistakes.
Ultimately, the relationships that underpinned “the offense became so strained, they engendered internal doubt” about Belichick’s decision making. The head coach was quick to make changes following the season; shortly after announcing that they’d be conducting an offensive coordinator search, the Patriots hired Bill O’Brien to fill the role. Still, both Judge and Patricia are expected to be back in 2023.
More notes out of New England…
Speaking of, Belichick had a much larger role on offense than he let on, according to Albert Breer of SI.com. The head coach was “active on the headsets” during games, providing the same “oversight over the offense that he’d traditionally had over the defense.” Belichick even had a stint “moonlighting” as the offensive play-caller, which resulted in the offense occasionally looking “messy from an operational standpoint.”
For what it’s worth, Patricia’s contract has expired, according to Breer. This provides the coach with an open opportunity to pursue a different role elsewhere, something he may consider since he’s already facing a reduced role in New England. Tight ends coach NickCaley also has an expiring contract, but Breer says the coach still has a chance to return to New England. Caley has received several OC interviews, including an interview for the Patriots job.
Top receiver Jakobi Meyers played through a small tear in his knee this past year, per Callahan and Guregian. Despite the inconsistent Patriots offense, Meyers continued to produce in 2022, topping 800 receiving yards for the second-straight season while also establishing a new career-high in touchdown receptions (six). The former undrafted free agent is set to hit free agency this offseason and should be in line for a significant pay day as one of the top available players at his position.
O’Brien is already starting to add to his new offensive staff. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss (on Twitter), the Patriots are adding WillLawing to their offensive staff. The 37-year-old coach has worked alongside O’Brien at multiple stops, including Penn State, Alabama, and the Texans. Lawing held multiple roles during his time in the NFL, including tight ends coach. He spent the past two seasons as an offensive analyst at Alabama.
The Bills are going to have some difficult decisions to make during free agency. According to Albert Breer of SI.com, the Bills have “confronted the reality that it’s going to be tough” to retain both linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and safety Jordan Poyer.
The Bills already have $240MM on the books for the 2023 campaign, and they’ve previously invested in sizable contracts at both linebacker (Matt Milano) and safety (Micah Hyde). As a result, the cash-strapped Bills will be hard pressed to find the necessary cap space to retain both of their key free agents, leading to a difficult choice as they prepare for the offseason.
ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg writes that the Bills “appear more likely to re-sign Edmunds than Poyer.” Edmunds’ impact on both the passing game and running game is invaluable, and while Poyer also brings top-notch production, the Bills would have a more difficult time replacing Edmunds’ production on defense. The linebacker has spent his entire career in Buffalo after being selected in the first round of the 2018 draft. The two-time Pro Bowler finished with his fifth 100-tackle season in 2022, adding six tackles for loss and seven passes defended. GM BrandonBeaneacknowledged that the franchise tag could be in play for the impending free agent.
Poyer completed his sixth season with the Bills in 2022, finishing with 63 tackles and four interceptions en route to a Pro Bowl selection. The veteran earned a first-team All-Pro nod in 2021 after finishing with five interceptions and three sacks. After signing a four-year contract with the organization back in 2017, he inked a two-year extension with the Bills in 2020. Beane previously expressed interest in retaining Poyer, although he cautioned that the organization will need clarity on the cap before knowing how to proceed.
Last offseason, the Bills made one of the biggest splashes when they inked Von Miller to a mega-deal.. This time around, the Bills aren’t expecting as many fireworks. Beane previously told reporters that he’s not anticipating a major move at any point this offseason, admitting that they’re instead going to “have to work to get under the cap.”
The four-year Bucs OC advanced to the finalist stage of the Jaguars’ head coaching search last year but backed out of the pursuit for that job. A year later, the Bucs canned him following a wildly disappointing season on offense. But Leftwich, whose initial three Tampa Bay offenses produced top-10 rankings in scoring, figures to have opportunities.
