AFC East Notes: Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Bills

• ESPN’s Adam Schefter disputes a report that the Bills made an offer to RB Melvin Gordon before he signed with the Broncos. 
• Schefter says Gordon’s agent reached out to Buffalo, but the team never made an offer. 

Dolphins

• Dolphins DE Shaq Lawson‘s three-year, $30 million deal includes a $4 million signing bonus, base salaries of $6.4 million, $7.9 million and $8.9 million. (Aaron Wilson)
• Lawson’s base salaries in 2020 and 2021 are fully guaranteed, while he has a $2.5 million roster bonus due March 26, a $100,000 workout bonus in 2020 and 2021, and up to $2M in annual incentives for sacks and team achievements. 

Jets

• ESPN’s Rich Cimini points out the Jets’ three-year, $30 million deal for OT George Fant is actually a one-year, $9.25 million deal and won’t prevent New York from taking an offensive tackle in the first round. 
• Cimini says the Jets aren’t interested in pursuing a sign-and-trade for franchise-tagged Jaguars DE Yannick Ngakoue at this time. 
• Cimini adds the Jets are not expected to get reinvolved with Seahawks free-agent DE Jadeveon Clowney unless he lowers his asking price significantly. 
• Cimini mentions QBs Joe Flacco and Matt Moore to watch as potential backup quarterback options for the Jets given their connections to GM Joe Douglas and HC Adam Gase respectively. 

Patriots

• ESPN’s Seth Wickersham notes that back in 2017 when Patriots HC Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady met to discuss a new deal to keep Brady in New England, the meeting ended in a “blowup.” It was one of the final events in a long series that precipitated Brady’s departure from New England this past week. 
• Wickersham said that league executives who reached out to Brady said he seemed driven by an animus toward Belichick. 
• Brady’s preferred destination was San Francisco, according to Wickersham, but the 49ers elected to stand pat with QB Jimmy Garoppolo. 
• ESPN’s Mike Reiss reports the Patriots’ current salary cap issues were the impetus for the trade of S Duron Harmon to the Lions.
• Reiss says the Patriots decision to place the franchise tag on G Joe Thuney is noteworthy because it sets the floor for potential extension negotiations at $14.78 million.