WGR

‘Kroft’s cap hit was scheduled to cost the Bills $6.41 million on the salary cap. They would only have been charged $1.6 million in dead cap had they released Kroft. Instead of saving almost five million releasing him, the Bills still save three million and he stays on the team.’

‘The Bills join the Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Redskins as teams to do this. This comes on the day that many Bills staff members attended Clemson’s pro day to see the likes of wide receiver Tee Higgins.’

‘The tampering window for teams is supposed to open up next Monday, while the official window to sign players was set for Wednesday afternoon.’

‘Based on the details of Graziano’s report, if Norman is still on the Bills’ roster on March 22 (which should be a virtual certainty) he will have $3 million in total guaranteed and paid out money from the team. The rest of the $6 million of his contract will come in in-season salary and bonuses. If the team were to release Norman prior to opening day, they’d have to take on a $3 million salary cap hit in 2020. If Norman is on the team all season he’ll count the full $6 million against the team’s cap.’

‘In addition, the team is still “working on” tight end Jason Croom’s ERFA status, according to the source.’

‘Under the rules for compensatory draft selections, a team losing more or better qualifying compensatory free agents than it acquires in the previous year is eligible to receive picks. The Bills signed more qualifying free agents than they lost in 2019.’

‘To add on to his original report, Garafolo says that Norman spoke to several teams around the league and decided to sign with the Bills due to his familiarity with the defensive system and the talent around him, including Tre’Davious White on the opposite side of the field.’

‘The Bills have more salary cap space than they know what to do with and the deal only lasts for one season, but $6 million for what might just be a name at this point initially looks like a steep price to pay.’

‘Ngakoue is regarded by most as the prized edge rusher of the year’s free agent class.’

‘But Cooper will most likely be the highest-paid free agent receiver on the market and the Bengals are reportedly going to put the franchise tag on Green. So, those two options are most likely off the table for the Bills. But here are some other wideouts who could fit what they’re looking for…’.

‘Crucial to the success of the team. Core pieces. Glue guys. This was the description of many former Buffalo Bills that enter the 2020 NFL free agency period perhaps without the same seen value and ability.’

‘So while there will definitely be many who see Brady’s return as more “Same Old Bills Losing to the Patriots” continuity, there will definitely be many who are no longer afraid to go into the TB12 Funhouse, and even welcome it and not want a change, since beating the Patriots with Brady under center would be so much more rewarding than with anyone else. And they believe now is the time that will finally happen.’

‘Salgado is now the Nickel DB Coach, which is another indication of how football has evolved over the past several years and how important the Nickel/slot cornerback position is to a team. Salgado was previously a defensive assistant, but now will apparently strictly work with that inside cornerback position.’

‘“[Drafting and developing players] is the ideal way. When it’s time to re-sign a guy that you have on your roster, it takes two. The best deals are win-win, a win for the player and a win for the Bills. Sometimes we want to sign or re-sign a guy here, and the agent just feels that the market is higher than where we see it, and so those deals don’t get done. Or, vice versa, [the player] feels this isn’t necessarily the right spot for them, or they want to wait. Sometimes guys just want to wait and see what free agency holds this year or how the market shapes out, and just get a little bit more clarity on it. And I think one of the things going on right now is the CBA, there hasn’t been a lot of deals and I think a lot of people are waiting to see if a new CBA is ratified, and what that would do to the cap this year, and also what it would start looking like in 2021 and beyond.”’

‘Biggest need for depth: Cornerback.”