NFL Notes: Bills, Lions, Patriots, Panthers

Bills

• Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, citing a source with knowledge of the contract, reports that Bills QB Tyrod Taylor‘s new contract includes a $500,000 bonus if Buffalo makes it to the division round of the playoffs.
• Beyond that, Taylor can make $1 million for getting the team to the AFC Championship game and $2 million if they reach the Super Bowl.
• These incentives will also be available to him in 2018.

Lions

• Dave Birkett points out that the possibility of re-signing veteran WR Anquan Boldin seemed to eliminate the Lions from being in the mix to sign Andre Holmes, who agreed to a contract with the Bills on Saturday.

Patriots

• Mike Reiss of ESPN writes that veteran WR Danny Amendola will need to take a pay cut from his $6 million salary for the 2017 season to something more in line with his role on the team next year, which should be as a No. 4 or No. 5 receiver.
• However, Reiss believes the fact that Amendola is still on the team’s roster is a good indication that the Patriots are at least leaving the door open for him to possibly return next season.

Panthers

• While LSU RB Leonard Fournette has been a popular pick for the Panthers in mock drafts, David Newton writes pairing him with veteran Jonathan Stewart would leave the rookie with a limited role, considering that they’re both power backs.
• There are other players at different positions that could make sense for the Panthers, according to Newton, including LSU S Jamal Adams, Ohio State S Malik Hooker, Stanford DE Solomon Thomas, Ohio State CB Marshon Lattimore and Clemson WR Mike Williams, but they may not have a big impact in year one, due to team’s depth at these positions.
• With this in mind, Newton mentions Alabama TE O.J. Howard as someone who could step in and have an immediate year-one impact for Carolina in both the passing and running games.