‘This accelerator follows the inaugural Coach and Front Office Accelerator and the Front Office Accelerator hosted at previous league meetings in 2022. For the first time, however, teams were able to nominate coaches outside of their organization. The coaches who were chosen are attending “based on their high potential” to be considered for head-coaching jobs.’
ESPN
Rory McIlroy receives official welcome to the Bills Mafia
‘”I know he’s a big golf fan,” McIlroy said. “I haven’t met him. I think he played Pebble Beach pro-am this year, but I didn’t play there. Yeah, I’d obviously love to meet him.”‘
DE Shane Ray, out of NFL since 2019, signs with Bills
‘Ray, 29, added there were “times that I thought maybe I should give up, but I wouldn’t be me if I folded” and that “even in my darkest moments I believed in myself. I believed in my preparation. I believed that I would have another opportunity even if the world didn’t believe.”‘
Witness says Matt Araiza wasn’t present at time of alleged rape
‘Araiza, a former punter at San Diego State, also was not visible in any of the videos recovered from the night in question, according to audio from a meeting between San Diego deputy district attorney Trisha Amador and the woman who filed a civil lawsuit last year against Araiza and two of his former Aztecs teammates.’
Buffalo Bills get approval for 30-year lease for new stadium
‘The new stadium is scheduled to open in 2026. Major construction on the project is scheduled to begin in June.’
Bills boost defensive line, reach deal with Poona Ford
‘By signing Ford after May 1, he will not count in the team’s compensatory pick formula. The Bills are anticipating receiving a compensatory third-round pick in 2024 for losing linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to the Chicago Bears in free agency.’
Bills sign veteran RB Latavius Murray to one-year deal
‘The 33-year-old Murray, a Syracuse native who also earned an MBA from Syracuse in 2020, becomes the second-oldest player on the Bills’ roster (behind Von Miller) and adds experience to a running backs room that is headlined by 2022 second-round pick James Cook.’
Sources: Bills agree with Tyler Bass on four-year extension
‘Bass has shown the ability to kick consistently despite the tough conditions that the lake wind and often lake-effect snow bring to Highmark Stadium. He also has had success at the end of the season, with his highest field goal accuracy percentages coming in December (89.5%) and January (100%). In his career, Bass, the first member of the Bills’ 2020 draft class to be extended, has missed only four fourth-quarter or overtime kicks (24-of-28), including the postseason, and he has made all five of his potential game-tying or go-ahead kicks in the final two minutes of regulation or overtime. He is the first player in Bills history to score 120-plus points in three seasons.’
Bills’ Damar Hamlin OK to play after suffering cardiac arrest
‘Hamlin shared Tuesday — during his first news conference since the events on Jan. 2 during the first quarter of a regular-season “Monday Night Football” game against the Cincinnati Bengals — that doctors concluded that Hamlin suffered a specific type of cardiac arrest, commotio cordis, “an extremely rare consequence of blunt force trauma to the heart that happens at exactly the wrong time in the heart rhythm, causing the heart to stop beating effectively,” per the American Heart Association. Collapsing occurs within a few seconds.’
Bills to re-sign defensive end Shaq Lawson, source says
‘Originally drafted by the Bills with the 19th overall pick in 2016 out of Clemson, Lawson spent two seasons away from the team with two different AFC East competitors — the Miami Dolphins (2020) and the New York Jets (2021) — after playing his first four years in Buffalo.’
From sacks to salary cap? Bills’ Von Miller eyes career as NFL GM
‘”You gotta build relationships,” Miller said of being a GM. “How do I know this guy’s a great coach? How do I know he’s a bad coach? How will he fit into my culture? What is my culture?”‘
Bills’ Damar Hamlin meets President Biden, lauded for ‘courage’
‘Biden tweeted a photo of the meeting along with the caption, “Damar Hamlin’s courage, resilience, and spirit inspired the American people. And what’s more: he turned recovery into action — and our country is better for it. It was my honor to have him and his family here today.”‘
NFL helps launch initiative to prevent fatal cardiac arrest among high school athletes
‘The coalition, which is also partnered with Hamlin’s Chasing M’s Foundation, advocates for the implementation of three best practices to prevent death: widely distributed emergency action plans for each high school athletic venue that are posted, practiced and updated annually; clearly marked AEDs at each athletic venue or accessible within three minutes of anyplace a high school team practices or holds competitions; and CPR and AED education for coaches.’
Sean McDermott says he will call Bills’ defense this season
‘”I’m going to be the playcaller,” McDermott said, “but at the same time, [I] have tons of confidence in the guys that we have around me that if I need to toss it to them from time to time, I can do that.”‘
RB Damien Harris reaches 1-year deal with Bills, source says
‘Harris, who turned 26 in February, was supplanted by Rhamondre Stevenson as the Patriots’ No. 1 running back in 2022. He was also limited by a thigh injury that sidelined him for six games.’