AFC Notes: Bills, Jalen Ramsey, Dolphins, Patriots

Bills

• Matt Lombardo reports that the Bills could be in the market for RB Ezekiel Elliott, with one source saying: “Buffalo is looking for a big back, and Zeke checks that box.”
• Bills GM Brandon Beane said he didn’t anticipate spending a ton of money this year in free agency because he didn’t want to cash-strap the team for future years: “We’re trying to work our way out so we don’t have a tear down…We want to be competitive every single year. So, some years you’re not going to be able to add a big-ticket item every year.” (Katherine Fitzgerald)
• Beane added that they’re “not necessarily done” and still have their eye on a few free agents and potential cap casualties. (Alaina Getzenberg)
• Beane visited with DB Damar Hamlin and said that Hamlin has every intention of playing again. Beane added that Hamlin has at least one more doctor visit lined up but is “trending in the right direction.” (Getzenberg)
• Beane said the team is having internal discussions about what to do with WR Isaiah McKenzie as his roster bonus will become due in the next few days. (Joe Buscaglia)
• Beane wouldn’t commit to McKenzie being on the roster in the coming days and eluded to the team having too many duplicate skill sets at the wide receiver position. (Matt Parrino)
• Bills S Jordan Poyer‘s two-year, $10 million deal includes a $1.5 million signing bonus, while his $2.24 million salary in 2023 is guaranteed and $760,000 of his $4.74 million 2024 salary is guaranteed for injury at signing and skill-cap on the fifth day of the 2024 league year. He can also earn $30,000 in per-game roster bonuses and $1 million in playing time, interceptions, All-NFL, and playoff berth incentives. (Aaron Wilson)
• Bills QB Kyle Allen‘s one-year, $1.232 million deal with the team includes $350,000 guaranteed, a $100,000 signing bonus, a salary of $1.08 million, and $250,000 fully guaranteed. (Aaron Wilson)

Dolphins

Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey fired back at critics that believe he’s lost a step at this point in his career.

“You gotta really watch it,” he said, via ESPN. “You don’t become this successful without actually doing good things on that field and having the respect from your peers and the media. But you know, we going to see what they have to say. Once we out on the field, that’s what matters.”

Ramsey said that he believes he and CB Xavien Howard will be an elite duo, but didn’t want to compare them to former Dolphins corners Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain.

“We trying to be the best man. We ain’t trying to really worry about comparing ourselves with anybody else,” Ramsey said. “We trying to be ourselves. We’ve had some success in our individual careers up until this point. We plan to have more success now together in the same secondary as a duo…We just going to get after it. And then when it’s all said and done, then we can talk about — we can go over all of that and we can go over all of what people say. We’ll keep the receipts, and we’ll go back over all of that when it’s all said done, after the fact. That’s what I’ve been doing.”

The AFC East could feature both Bills QB Josh Allen and QB Aaron Rodgers. Ramsey believes the team is well-equipped to deal with the firepower in the division.

“We’ll be straight. We going to put the work in — it’s the NFL, any given Sunday,” Ramsey said. “But I think we’ll be good…They played well in the division without me, I’m just trying to add to that.”

• Dolphins RB Myles Gaskin‘s one-year, $1.23 million deal includes a $1.08 million salary and up to $150,000 in per-game roster bonuses, via Aaron Wilson. 
• Dolphins CB Nik Needham‘s one-year, $1.825 million deal includes $750,000 guaranteed, a $152,500 signing bonus, and a salary of $1.672 million with $597,000 fully guaranteed. (Wilson)
• Dolphins WR Braxton Berrios‘s one-year, $3.5 million deal includes $3 million guaranteed. It also includes a $1.5 million signing bonus, a salary of $1.5 million fully guaranteed, and $29,412 in per-game active roster bonuses up to $500,000. (Wilson)

Patriots

• Patriots TE Mike Gesicki signed for one year with a $9 million max value and $3.55 million guaranteed. It also includes a $2.4 million signing bonus, a guaranteed salary of $1.15 million, $50,000 in per-game active roster bonuses, and $4.5 million in incentives for 2023. (Aaron Wilson)
• Patriots LB Chris Board signed for two years, $5 million with $2.6 million guaranteed. It also includes a $995,000 signing bonus and $20,000 in per-game active roster bonuses annually. (Wilson)
• Patriots LB Mack Wilson‘s one-year, $1.6 million base value deal with the team includes $575,00 guaranteed, a $245,000 signing bonus, and a salary of $1.08 million with $330,000 fully guaranteed. (Wilson)