The Bills have appointed Ken Dorsey as their passing game coordinator, as Sal Capaccio of WGR 550 tweets. It’s a new title for the former quarterback, who serves as the team’s QBs coach.
The new position presumably comes with a pay bump. The Bills nearly lost the former University of Miami passer this year as he garnered interest from the Seahawks and Lions. Ultimately, Dorsey stayed put to serve under Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, but both clubs saw him as a potential fit for their OC vacancies.
Dorsey has been an NFL QBs coach since 2013. He spent five years with the Panthers before following the pipeline up north, joining his former bosses in Buffalo. Dorsey was with Carolina during the franchise’s most recent Super Bowl season, when Cam Newton soared to MVP honors in 2015. Since then, he’s raised his stock even further, taking Josh Allen from an inaccurate prospect to an MVP candidate.
Dorsey, 40, figures to be a hot candidate in the next cycle as well. But, for now, he’ll stay put in Buffalo with an even larger role.
Potentially on the verge of his 18th NFL season, Jason Peters has signed a number of contracts. The first of Peters’ many re-ups occurred on this date 15 years ago.
On July 14, 2006, the Bills and their UDFA discovery agreed to terms on a contract that eventually led to the parties splitting up. Peters signed a five-year, $15MM extension during the ’06 offseason, this coming after the Bills tendered him a contract worth $425K. Soon outplaying the teams of his $3MM-AAV deal, Peters became a disgruntled Bill.
The Bills initially took a flier on the former college tight end and defensive end, and this only came to be because of lobbying by the future All-Pro blocker’s agent, and stashed him on their practice squad for most of the 2004 season. Buffalo broke Peters in on special teams before turning to him as its starting right tackle for much of the ’05 slate. Peters had supplanted underwhelming former top-five pick Mike Williams as Buffalo’s top right tackle, and the Bills made the move to lock the emerging talent up the following offseason. The team then moved Peters to the left side midway through the ’06 campaign. That ultimately proved to be a short-term arrangement.
Dissatisfaction over a $3.25MM salary prompted Peters to hold out in 2008, and after he begrudgingly returned to his Bills post that season, the Eagles came in with a trade offer to acquire Peters just before the 2009 draft. The Bills received 2009 first- and fourth-round picks, along with a 2010 sixth-rounder, in the swap. They used the first of those selections to draft future long-term center Eric Wood 28th overall. Philadelphia handed Peters a six-year, $60MM extension, beginning a fruitful era for their offensive line.
Buffalo went on to churn through few left tackles, including Cordy Glenn, since Peters’ departure, while Peters has started 127 games as an Eagle. That was good for the fifth-most in franchise history by a pure offensive lineman. Peters would go on to make two Pro Bowls with the Bills and seven with the Eagles, also receiving two first-team All-Pro honors in Philly. The Eagles also extended their veteran protector in 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2020.
Now at the age of 39, Peters hasn’t ruled out playing in 2021. Although his return might not come in Philadelphia, Peters could be an interesting late summer addition for another contender in need.
There are still plenty of quality free agents left on the board as we look ahead to training camp. Cornerback Steven Nelson, tackle Russell Okung, and longtime Legion of Boom leader Richard Sherman headline the list, along with accomplished edge rushers like Justin Houston, Melvin Ingram, and Olivier Vernon. That list will only grow larger, of course, as more teams shed veterans to redirect their funds elsewhere.
With that in mind, here’s a look at every NFL team’s cap situation, starting with the league-leading Jaguars:
- Jacksonville Jaguars — $32.7MM
- Denver Broncos — $28.9MM
- New York Jets — $28.5MM
- Cleveland Browns — $20.6MM
- Los Angeles Chargers — $19.9MM
- Detroit Lions — $17.9MM
- San Francisco 49ers — $17.8MM
- Cincinnati Bengals — $17.4MM
- Washington Football Team — $16.7MM
- Indianapolis Colts— $14.3MM
- Carolina Panthers— $14.3MM
- Minnesota Vikings — $13.5MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers — $13.1MM
- New England Patriots — $13.1MM
- New Orleans Saints — $11.4MM
- Arizona Cardinals — $11.3MM
- Buffalo Bills — $10.5MM
- Baltimore Ravens — $8.8MM
- Atlanta Falcons — $8.6MM
- Seattle Seahawks — $8.3MM
- Tennessee Titans — $8.3MM
- Kansas City Chiefs — $7.9MM
- Los Angeles Rams — $7MM
- Chicago Bears — $6MM
- Dallas Cowboys — $6MM
- Miami Dolphins — $5.3MM
- Green Bay Packers — $5MM
- Houston Texans — $5MM
- Las Vegas Raiders — $3.3MM
- Philadelphia Eagles — $3.2MM
- New York Giants — $2.4MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers — $489K
The three most recent monster quarterback extensions broke down into two categories. Dak Prescott and Deshaun Watson agreed on shorter-term, value-maximizing deals; Patrick Mahomes signed a 10-year extension that reached unprecedented total value but aided the Chiefs in structure. Josh Allen may be willing to take the latter route.
An Allen-Bills deal has hovered on the NFL radar since second-place MVP finisher became extension-eligible in January, and some buzz has emerged indicating Allen might be open to working with the Bills on a friendlier extension structure, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes (video link). This does not mean a discount, Fowler adds, but a contract structure that would help the Bills more than a traditional quarterback contract would.
Of the three quarterbacks who have landed on the extension radar this offseason — Allen, Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield — Allen is coming off the best season and may have the most incentive to sign a deal this year. Allen did not start his career as well as Jackson or Mayfield, but he has steadily improved — leading up to a dominant 2020 showing.
In April, it did not sound like the Bills and their franchise QB were close on a deal. But Sean McDermott expressed confidence recently while praising the Wyoming product’s fit in western New York.
“Josh and I have spoken,” Bills GM Brandon Beane said in April. “We’d love to get Josh extended, but it has to be a number that works for him and us. We’re all on same page. Josh wants to be here. That gives me hope we’ll get something done at some point. Can’t guarantee it’ll be this year.”
Thanks to picking up Allen’s fifth-year option, Buffalo has him signed through 2022. This will allow the Bills to take a slightly firmer stance in negotiations, even as the salary cap is set to rise to nearly $210MM next year. Allen, 25, battled inconsistency in 2018 and ’19 but led the Bills to a 13-3 season and their first AFC championship game in 27 years. The cannon-armed passer agreeing to a Bills-friendly structure would help Beane and McDermott keep the team on this level.
Mahomes’ 10-year, $450MM contract came in the same offseason in which the Chiefs extended Travis Kelce and defensive tackle Chris Jones. The Chiefs have since restructured Mahomes’ deal, dropping his 2021 base salary to $990K, and the through-2031 contract will provide the team more flexibility than the Prescott’s four-year, $160MM extension will give the Cowboys. Allen agreeing to a 10-year extension would be surprising, but he and the Bills finding a structural middle ground would certainly be an interesting development for the quarterback market.
Josh Allen still hasn’t inked his extension with the Bills, but head coach Sean McDermott is making it sound like a deal will get done sooner than later.
“[GM] Brandon [Beane] mentioned that, I think at the end of the spring practice period there, and these things handle themselves,” McDermott said during an appearance on NFL Network (via Nick Shook of NFL.com). “They work themselves out when you got two parties that want to be together and have the same end goal in mind. Josh is a great, young talent and he fits so well with Buffalo and the city and the town and the people of Buffalo. So, I firmly believe it’s gonna work itself out.”
We’ve heard similar sentiments out of Buffalo throughout the offseason…but we’re now in July and a long-term deal still hasn’t been completed. When we last heard from the organization back in May, it sounded like both sides were starting to play some hardball, as Beane made it clear that the extension value “has to be a number that works for [Allen] and us.”
Allen probably doesn’t have a whole lot to gain by waiting to ink a deal. He’s already eyeing a sizable pay day, and unless he can somehow top last season’s performance (second in MVP, AFC Championship appearance), he’ll be facing a similar pay day later on. On the flip side, Allen could decline or suffer an injury, which could cost him money on his next deal.
So, as Shook explains, it’s most likely the organization that’s dragging their feet on a potential extension. While the franchise obviously wants their quarterback to succeed, they could show some patience to see if Allen can put up a similar performance in 2021. After picking up the 25-year-old’s fifth-year option, Allen is locked in through the 2022 campaign, so the organization has plenty of time to hammer out the details.
- Speaking of extensions, Bills quarterback Josh Allen will need one soon too. Thanks to the fifth-year option Allen, like Jackson, is under contract through the 2022 season. But like with fellow 2018 draft class passer Baker Mayfield, extensions may come sooner rather than later. Vic Carruci of Buffalo News writes that he thinks the Bills and Allen “will work something out before the start of the season.” Carruci seems to think Allen will act “independently” of Mayfield and Jackson, and not wait around to make sure they go first and set the market. On the heels of a superb 2020 campaign, Allen will be looking for top of the quarterback market money, likely around $40MM annually on a new deal.
While the 2011 collective bargaining agreement prohibited teams from extending their draft picks until they had played at least three seasons, as does the 2020 agreement, the 2006 CBA did not do so. The Bills took advantage of this to lock up one of the top draft finds in franchise history.
The Bills and defensive tackle Kyle Williams came to a few extension agreements during his 13-year tenure with the team; the first of those transpired on July 3, 2008. Less than two years after the former fifth-round pick signed his rookie contract, he came to terms on a three-year, $14.4MM extension. This through-2012 deal came with $5.2MM guaranteed and became a bargain for the Bills.
Despite arriving as a late-round pick, albeit one who played a role on LSU’s national championship-winning 2003 team, Williams broke into Buffalo’s starting lineup as a rookie. His first Pro Bowl, however, came during this initial extension. Williams ended up making five more Pro Bowls during what became a historically long stay in the Bills’ starting lineup. In the franchise’s 61-year history, only Hall of Famers Andre Reed and Bruce Smith and offensive lineman Joe Devlin made more starts for the team than Williams’ 178.
The 300-plus-pound defender played three seasons on his 2008 extension and emerged as one of the NFL’s top D-tackles. From 2009-10, he combined to tally 30 tackles for loss. His 16-TFL/5.5-sack 2010 season led to a Pro Bowl nod and preceded the biggest extension of Williams’ career. For the second time, the Bills extended Williams with two years remaining on his previous contract. In August 2011, they gave him a six-year, $39MM extension.
Teaming with 2011 first-round pick Marcell Dareus to form one of the league’s top D-tackle duos, Williams made three Pro Bowls from 2012-14 and peaked with a 10.5-sack season in 2013. Williams ended up outlasting Dareus in Buffalo. The Bills traded the former top-three pick to the Jaguars during the 2017 season.
Although team success eluded the Bills during most of Williams’ career, he was on the fourth of his five Bills deals when they snapped their 17-season drought and made the 2017 AFC playoff field. Williams retired after the 2018 season, playing only with Buffalo. He finished with a Bills-most 103 tackles for loss in the 21st century. Among pure interior D-linemen in this span, that total ranks behind only Aaron Donald and Kevin Williams.
Months after Zach Ertz‘s name popped up in trade rumors, he remains with the Eagles. The three-time Pro Bowl tight end is not viewed as likely to be part of this year’s Philly team and did not report for the team’s offseason program. Despite a lengthy delay in this saga, a separation still feels imminent.
Ertz has one season left on the five-year, $42.5MM extension he signed way back in January 2016. The veteran lobbied for a new deal last year, but he and the Eagles could not agree on terms. Those disagreements became rather noticeable as well. Even if some suitors cannot presently afford Ertz’s $12.7MM cap number, which could cause the Eagles to finally release him, the team will likely try to work a trade for a bit longer.
Where will the 30-year-old pass catcher be come Week 1? Here are a few candidates:
Arizona Cardinals
This franchise has not shown a strong interest in bolstering this position in many years, and Kliff Kingsbury — with A.J. Green and Rondale Moore joining DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk — may well opt to deploy more four-receiver sets. That said, the Cardinals’ additions of Green, J.J. Watt, Rodney Hudson, Brian Winters and Malcolm Butler illustrate a commitment to adding veterans to help the cause in a loaded NFC West. The Cards, who have Maxx Williams (304 yards in two Arizona seasons) as their top tight end, have not had a tight end surpass 600 yards in a season since moving to Arizona in 1988.
Buffalo Bills
The team most closely connected to Ertz this offseason, Buffalo has not received much from the tight end position in recent years. And the defending AFC East champions have lacked a higher-end receiving threat at this spot for much of its existence. Five Ertz receiving totals would eclipse the best tight end showing (726 yards) in the Bills’ 61-season history. While the Bills’ Stefon Diggs–Emmanuel Sanders–Cole Beasley–Gabriel Davis quartet leaves it well-stocked for aerial targets at present, the tight end position has come up as one the franchise would not mind bolstering.
Dawson Knox led Buffalo tight ends with 288 yards last season; the team lost Tyler Kroft in free agency and has second-year player Tommy Sweeney coming off a season in which he encountered severe COVID-19 issues. With the Bills in position to aim for a Super Bowl berth again, another weapon makes sense.
Indianapolis Colts
With Doug Pederson out of the NFL at the moment, the Colts serve as the reunion spot for Ertz. Carson Wentz played with Ertz for five seasons and helped him set a tight end record with 116 catches in 2018. Frank Reich coached Ertz the previous two years, and the Colts could certainly use another viable weapon — even if they figure to lean heavily on the run game.
Indianapolis re-signed T.Y. Hilton and has 2020 second-rounder Michael Pittman Jr. coming off a promising finish to his rookie season, but the team has not been able to keep injury-prone ex-second-rounder Parris Campbell on the field. Ninth-year tight end Jack Doyle and Mo Alie-Cox combined for just 645 yards last season. The Wentz trade, assuming he stays healthy for most of this season, will cost Indianapolis a first-round pick in 2022. Bringing in his former top target at a low cost would enhance the relocated QB’s comfort level and help justify the lofty investment.
Jacksonville Jaguars
This spot differs from the rest mentioned here, with the Jaguars coming off a 1-15 season and in clear rebuild mode. But Jacksonville drafted Trevor Lawrence and has no proven tight end to pair with him. The team leads the NFL in cap space ($38MM) as well.
Exiting draft weekend, Urban Meyer expressed concern about his team’s tight end depth chart. The Jags drafted Ohio State’s Luke Farrell in Round 5 and did go on to sign Tim Tebow. While this would seemingly not be a desirable spot for Ertz as a free agent, the Jags could make sense as an unorthodox trade destination.
Tennessee Titans
Ertz trade compensation would not approach what the Titans paid for Julio Jones, and even after acquiring the all-time Falcons great, the team was on the lookout for tight end assistance. The Titans lost Jonnu Smith and did not add a notable replacement. The Jones trade shows the Titans are committed to contending this season, even after losing Smith and Corey Davis. Even after a disappointing 2020 season, Ertz would provide a substantial upgrade over Anthony Firkser.
- The Bills finally got their man, signing Emmanuel Sanders to a one-year deal this past offseason. Apparently they’ve been after the veteran receiver for a while. GM Brandon Beane tried to trade for Sanders at the 2019 trade deadline, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic writes. He was ultimately traded from the Broncos to the 49ers at that deadline instead. We knew Buffalo pursued him in free agency last year, but he ended up signing with the Saints. The third time turned out to be the charm. Sanders turned 34 in March but remained fairly productive in New Orleans last season and Buscaglia seems bullish on his outlook, writing that he’s the “most underrated piece” of the Bills’ offense and that Josh Allen looked for him often during recent practices.