AFC Notes: Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Bills

• The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia and Matthew Fairburn believe the Bills should focus on making a trade for Eagles TE Zach Ertz happen, though not at the third-round price point Philadelphia is asking for.
• Both liked the signing of WR Emmanuel Sanders as a reliable veteran deep threat who should be good for the Bills on the field and in the locker room. He also takes pressure off WR Gabriel Davis to be a starter right away, though they add the $6 million price tag is kind of steep this year.  
• Regarding the Bills signing QB Mitch Trubisky to a one-year deal, GM Brandon Beane believes the recently signed quarterback has similar qualities to Josh Allen: “Athletically, he can do a lot of things that Josh (Allen) can do.” (Michael Giardi)
• Beane mentioned that the Bills don’t expect Trubisky to stay around on a long-term basis: “This is a reset for him. We don’t expect him to be here long term.” (Marcel Louis-Jacques)
• As for the Bills signing Haack, McDermott said they are always looking to improve and saw an opportunity to move on from Corey Bojorquez: “We’re always trying to improve our roster. Corey had a good year & both sides were talking, but we had an opportunity that we felt was the best for our team. We wish Corey the best.” (Chris Brown)
• McDermott explained that they were looking for a long-term punter and just wasn’t “on the same page” with Bojorquez: “We were looking for someone who wanted to be here long-term. Corey (Bojorquez) had a really good year but we just weren’t on the same page. So we decided to look elsewhere.” (Marcel Louis-Jacques)
• Beane feels that Trubisky gives them added insurance behind Allen in case he ever sustains an injury: “He’s 29-21 as a starter in this league. If Josh was out for a few weeks or something like that we want to make sure we have the best player that we can. It’s like any other position for depth.” (Chris Brown)
• Beane reiterated that the quarterback position is “important” and they wanted to add a dependable backup with Trubisky: “It is an important position. We want to make sure that we continue to add good players at every position, this position in particular, so we felt like this was an opportunity for us to do that.” (Chris Brown)
• As for the Bills’ reported interest in Buccaneers TE Rob Gronkowski, Beane said they spoke to his agent but never made an official offer: “We spoke to his rep about him…we never made an official offer…I think there was some interest but at the end of the day, it would have been an upset for him to leave Tom Brady.” (Michael Giardi)
• Regarding the Bills’ cornerback position, Beane said they will examine the market but are “very content” going forward with Levi Wallace and Dane Jackson competing for the No. 2 role. (Marcel Louis-Jacques)
• Bills’ P Matt Haack‘s three-year, $5.47 million deal includes $3.25 million guaranteed, a $1.05 million signing bonus, salaries of $1.2 million guaranteed, $1.25 million, and has up to $600,000 in Pro Bowl incentives 2021, rising to $675,000 in 2022-23. (Aaron Wilson)

Dolphins

• Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald doesn’t see how the Dolphins could have the best offer for Texans QB Deshaun Watson, which would likely be the Jets’ No. 2 and No. 23 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft and their two 2022 first-round selections. 
• Jackson could only see Miami topping New York’s package of picks by including CB Xavien Howard in a trade. 
• Dolphins OLB Benardrick McKinney said he was shocked to be traded to Miami but the organization has never requested any restructure of his current contract. (Barry Jackson)
• McKinney said he is “feeling great” after dealing with a shoulder injury last season: “I’m feeling great, back to my old self.” (Salguero)
• Dolphins’ RB Malcolm Brown‘s one-year, $1.75 million contract includes a $200,000 signing bonus and a salary of $1.55 million guaranteed. (Aaron Wilson)
• Dolphins’ DT Adam Butler‘s two-year, $7.5 million contract includes $3.75 million guaranteed, a $1.5 million signing bonus, salaries of $2.25 million guaranteed, $3.41 million, a $340,000 per game active roster bonus for 2022,  and up to $1 million for team performance and playtime incentives annually. (Aaron Wilson)

Jets

• Jets’ DB Justin Hardee‘s three-year, $6.75 million deal includes  $1 million guaranteed, salaries of $1.35 million ($250,000 guaranteed), $1.8 million, $2.1 million, and annual $250,000 roster bonuses. (Aaron Wilson)

Patriots

• Patriots’ DL Henry Anderson‘s two-year deal for $7 million includes a signing bonus of $2 million, a guaranteed $1 million salary for 2021 with a $44,100 per-game roster bonus, and $2.5 million for 2022 with a $44,100 per-game roster bonus. (Mike Reiss)
• Patriots’ WR Nelson Agholor‘s two-year, $22 million contract includes $16 million guaranteed, a $10 million signing bonus, salaries of $1million guaranteed, $9 million ($5 million guaranteed), annual active roster bonuses of up to $1 million, and up to $2 million in receiving yards, catches, touchdowns and Pro Bowl incentives. (Aaron Wilson)
• Patriots’ TE Hunter Henry‘s three-year, $37.5 million deal includes $25 million guaranteed, a $15 million signing bonus, salaries of $1 million guaranteed, $9 million guaranteed, $9.5 million, and up to $1 million in per-game active roster bonuses annually. (Aaron Wilson)
• Patriots’ S Cody Davis‘ two-year, $4.3 million deal includes $2 million guaranteed, a $1 million signing bonus, salaries of $1.1 million guaranteed, $1.4 million, up to $400,000 in annual roster bonuses, and a $100 annual Pro Bowl incentive. (Aaron Wilson)