Stevie Johnson - Pro Football Rumors

Bills Acquire Bryce Brown From Eagles

May 10th, 2014 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

1:14pm: The pick the Eagles received from the Bills could become a third-rounder in 2016 only if Johnson meets his conditions that would defer the pick to 2016, and then Brown also meets his conditions, reports Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550 Sports Radio (via Twitter).

12:22pm: The Eagles have confirmed the trade (via Twitter) and provided more details. In exchange for Brown, the Birds will receive either a 2015 fourth-rounder or a 2016 third- or fourth-rounder. Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer points out (via Twitter) the condition is tied into Stevie Johnson’s performance in San Francisco because he was acquired from Buffalo for a conditional fourth-rounder.

Meanwhile, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says the trade is simply a depth move, and Jackson’s job is safe (via Twitter).

11:49am: The Eagles have traded a player for a draft pick, according to Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com, who reports (via Twitter) that running Bryce Brown will be sent to the Bills. Philadelphia acquires a future pick in the deal, per Mosher.

Brown became expendable following the addition of Darren Sproles. In Buffalo, Brown will provide depth behind C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson, both of whom are entering the final year of their deals.

AFC East Rumors: Pryor, Bills, Johnson

May 9th, 2014 at 5:03pm CST by Zachary Links

New Jets safety Calvin Pryor says that his big hits will provide an “intimidation factor” for the Jets’ defense, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. “Believe me, there is a huge thing with his hitting ability; big hits still win games,” head coach Rex Ryan said. “They’ll flip the momentum of a game faster than anything in my opinion, and I’ve always said that, and this young man will provide that for us.” More on that and some of the fallout from the Bills‘ big trade today..

The Bills had been shopping Stevie Johnson for a while before agreeing to send him to San Francisco today, tweets Albert Breer of NFL Network (on Twitter). Breer’s understanding is that Buffalo tried to deal him to Tampa as part of the Mike Williams trade last month.
Johnson would have counted $8.5MM against the Bills‘ cap in 2014, but with the dead money accelerating onto this year, his cap number is now $10.225MM, tweets Tim Graham of The Buffalo News.
This may not come as a huge surprise, but Jets coach Rex Ryan says that the team wasn’t interested in drafting Johnny Manziel at No. 18, writes Kimberley Martin of Newsday.
After serving as Tom Brady‘s backup for three years, undrafted quarterback Brian Hoyer was cut loose by the Patriots in 2012. After getting his break in Cleveland and subsequently blowing out his knee, he now finds himself in a battle with Manziel for the No. 1 job with the Browns. Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com laments the QB’s bad luck.

49ers Acquire Stevie Johnson From Bills

May 9th, 2014 at 1:55pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers will acquire wide receiver Stevie Johnson from the Bills, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). San Francisco will send a conditional 2015 fourth-round pick to Buffalo, per sources, and that pick can become a third-round choice depending on Johnson’s performance.

While Johnson missed four games last year due to injury, the 49ers have managed to add a former No. 1 WR for relatively little. It’s not the first shrewd move San Francisco has made this offseason to obtain a big name. In recent weeks, the 49ers have obtained quarterback Blaine Gabbert for a sixth-round choice plus a conditional pick and offensive tackle Jonathan Martin for a conditional 2015 seventh-round choice. Gabbert was the 10th overall pick in the 2011 draft and Martin was Miami’s No. 42 pick in the 2012 draft.

With the deal, the Bills are essentially getting back the 2014 fourth-round choice that they sent to Cleveland in order to move up in last night’s draft. Effectively, the Bills gave up Johnson and next year’s first round pick in order to move up five spots and grab Sammy Watkins.

Last night, after the Bills moved up the board to grab Watkins, Joe Buscaglia of WGR reported that Buffalo was likely to dangle Johnson. The charismatic WR has been a star in Buffalo ever since his breakout campaign in 2010 where he hauled in 1,073 yards off of 82 receptions. A report out of Buffalo in February indicated that the Bills were getting tired of Johnson’s “act” and that may not have helped his case there.

Last season was Johnson’s least productive year since his emergence and he missed a quarter of the season due to injury. If Johnson stays on the field and finds himself reinvigorated in SF, Colin Kaepernick will have yet another tremendous weapon to work with. It’s also worth noting that while Michael Crabtree is in the final year of his contract, Johnson is signed through 2016. That could give the 49ers some extra leverage in talks with Crabtree and insurance in the event that he goes elsewhere.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bills Could Shop Stevie Johnson

May 8th, 2014 at 7:59pm CST by Zachary Links

There might be at least one person in Buffalo who isn’t excited about the arrival of Sammy Watkins. A source told Joe Buscaglia of WGR (on Twitter) that Buffalo would put Steve Johnson on the trade block if they tapped a wide receiver. Now that they have, Buscaglia says Johnson is likely available.

Johnson has been a star in Buffalo ever since his breakout campaign in 2010 where he hauled in 1,073 yards off of 82 receptions. Last season was Johnson’s least productive year since his emergence and he missed a quarter of the season due to injury.

Bills Notes: QBs, Johnson, Dareus, Williams

February 23rd, 2014 at 11:08am CST by Rory Parks

Although it is unusual for a team’s general manager to make definitive statements at this time of year, Bills GM Doug Whaley made it clear that his club will not take a quarterback with its first-round pick, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak. Starting quarterback E.J. Manuel was the only quarterback selected in the first round of last year’s draft, which boasted a weak class of QBs. Given the more talented group of quarterbacks in the 2014 class, and given that Manuel suffered his third knee injury in December, there has been speculation that the Bills would take a QB in the first round for the second consecutive year. Whaley, however, indicated that the Bills would not go in that direction.

More notes out of Buffalo:

Wide receiver Stevie Johnson‘s future with the team is uncertain, given that he is due a sizable roster bonus in March. However, head coach Doug Marrone has reached out to Johnson to assure him that the team still wants him. As Tim Graham of the Buffalo News reported, there was some disconnect between Johnson and the Bills’ coaching staff last season, and his “act” was wearing thin among his teammates.
Whaley says that a contract extension for defensive tackle Marcell Dareus is “on the radar,” but it does not sound as though it is a priority right now. Since Dareus was a first-round pick under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Bills hold a team option on him for the 2015 season.
Although defensive end Mario Williams will cost the Bills a hefty $18.8MM cap hit in 2014, Whaley indicated that he has no intention of restructuring Williams’ deal at this time.
In a separate piece for the Buffalo News, Graham indicates that the Bills met with Jairus Byrd‘s agent on Saturday and that the team still hopes to sign Byrd to a long-term deal.