Bears Sign Bills RFA OL Ryan Bates To Offer Sheet

Update:

The Chicago Bears officially signed Bills RFA C Ryan Bates to an offer sheet on Thursday. 

The Bills now have until March 29 to match or decline the Bears offer to Bates. 

Bates was tendered with the original round tender by Buffalo last week, which means the Bills can match any offer sheet any team gives Bates. 

According to Brad Biggs, Bills restricted free agent OL Ryan Bates plans to sign the offer sheet he received from the Bears. 

Buffalo will now have five days to decide if it wants to match the offer sheet, otherwise it will lose Bates to Chicago with no compensation. 

However, if they decline they won’t receive any draft pick compensation as Bates is a former undrafted free agent. 

The original round tender for Bates is $2.433 million. 

Bates, 25, wound up going undrafted out of Penn State back in 2019. He agreed to a three-year, $1.755 million contract with the Eagles soon after.

The Bills traded DE Eli Harold to the Eagles in exchange for Bates back in 2019.

In 2021, Bates played in all 17 games for the Bills, making four starts for them at different positions.