ESPN’s Bill Polian, formerly a general manager for the Bills, Panthers, and Colts, turned down the opportunity to return to Buffalo in a senior advisory role earlier this offseason, but that didn’t end the Bills‘ search for a new addition to their front office, writes Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. Carucci reports that the Bills are still “very much in the market” to hire someone as an advisor for football decisions, and are targeting an exec with the experience necessary to provide guidance for GM Doug Whaley when it comes to evaluating talent.
According to Carucci, one potential target on Buffalo’s radar is Browns senior player-personnel associate Ron Hill. Hill comes highly recommended by the league, which has been providing counsel to new Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula, and Cleveland likely wouldn’t stand in his way since the job in Buffalo would be a promotion.
Here are a few more Thursday morning notes from around the AFC East:
- Cardinals cornerback Antonio Cromartie will be eligible for free agency once again this offseason, and the veteran appears very willing to entertain the idea of a return to New York after leaving the Jets a year ago, as Brian Costello of the New York Post writes. “My door is always open to returning,” Cromartie said. “Everybody knows I didn’t want to leave. I’m going to keep my door open and see what happens.”
- Appearing on ESPN Radio in New York on Wednesday, Jets owner Woody Johnson told Mike Lupica that he would “never tell the general manager not to spend money,” shifting the blame for the team’s lack of spending to former GM John Idzik. As Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com points out, those comments don’t quite line up with what Johnson said earlier in the 2014 season, but they do suggest he’s ready to get back to being aggressive in free agency.
- As the Patriots prepare to play in their sixth Super Bowl this century, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap examines how the franchise goes about building a roster that can sustain success over an extended period of time.