Oct 15, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke (58) tackles Buffalo Bills running back Damien Harris (22) during the first half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

RB Damien Harris announces retirement

Running back Damien Harris, who spent four seasons with the New England Patriots and one with the Buffalo Bills, announced his retirement on Monday.

The Alabama product was a third-round draft pick by New England in 2019 and became a free agent after his one-year deal with Buffalo expired.

“Getting to represent the name on the back of my jersey on and off the field, getting to compete at the highest level with and against the best competitors while winning championships and being coached by the 2 greatest head coaches of all time in Nick Saban and Bill Belichick are all just a small part of what God has done in my life with the game of football,” Harris wrote on Instagram.

“Gratitude is defined as ‘the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.’ Today I am grateful I have found the strength to walk away from the game I love so much.”

Harris, 27, finished his playing career with 2,188 rushing yards for 21 touchdowns and 42 receptions for 297 yards. His best season came in 2021, when he scored 15 touchdowns on 929 yards on the ground.

Harris appeared in six games for the Bills in 2023 and gained 94 yards on 23 attempts, scoring one touchdown. But he suffered a neck sprain against the New York Giants in Week 6 and had to be driven off the field in an ambulance — less than one year after Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest and scary scene — and Harris missed the rest of the season.

–Field Level Media

Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson (7) makes the tackle on Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88).

Report: Bills to re-sign DB Taron Johnson to 3-year deal

The Buffalo Bills are re-signing defensive back Taron Johnson to a three-year deal worth $31 million, his agent told ESPN on Monday.

The deal makes Johnson the highest-paid nickel back in the NFL, per the report.

Johnson, 27, had 98 tackles, eight passes defensed and three forced fumbles in 17 starts last season.

He has four interceptions, seven sacks, seven forced fumbles and 39 passes defensed in 88 career games (67 starts) in six seasons with the Bills, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 draft out of Weber State.

Johnson was named second-team All-Pro in 2023.

–Field Level Media

Jan 7, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd (56) celebrates after winning the game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Reports: 49ers agree to two-year, $20M deal with Leonard Floyd

Veteran pass rusher Leonard Floyd agreed to a two-year, $20 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers, according to multiple reports on Monday.

Floyd matched his career high of 10.5 sacks for the Buffalo Bills last season. Floyd joining the 49ers gives San Francisco a big edge-rushing tandem with Floyd and 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa.

Floyd has 58 career sacks in eight NFL seasons with the Chicago Bears (2016-19), Los Angeles Rams (2020-22) and Bills. He won a Super Bowl with the Rams in the 2021 season.

Floyd, 31, also had 10.5 sacks with the Rams in 2020.

He has racked up 370 tackles, seven fumble recoveries, four forced fumbles and two interceptions in 121 NFL games (120 starts).

–Field Level Media

Bills agree to 3-year extension with OL Dion Dawkins

The Bills and left tackle Dion Dawkins have agreed on a three-year extension that keeps the three-time Pro Bowler in Buffalo through the 2027 season.

The team did not disclose financial terms but ESPN reported Monday it’s worth $60.5 million, which would make him the fourth-highest paid tackle in the NFL.

Dawkins, 29, has made the Pro Bowl each of the last three seasons. He has started 106 of the 112 career games he’s played in for the Bills, who selected him in the second round of the 2017 draft out of Temple.

The deal comes after Dawkins faked his exit in a social media post, posting, “it was good while it lasted Buffalo.”

–Field Level Media

Nov 26, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Bills center Mitch Morse (60) in the tunnel before game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Reports: Jaguars, C Mitch Morse agree to two-year deal

Free agent center Mitch Morse agreed to a two-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars worth $10.5 million with $7 million guaranteed, NFL Network reported Monday.

Morse, 31, was released by the Bills in a salary cap move last week, which made him eligible to sign before the official start of free agency.

A Pro Bowl selection in 2022, Morse entered the NFL in 2015 as a second-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs, where current Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson was offensive coordinator.

A captain in Buffalo, Morse is expected to replace Luke Fortner in Jacksonville. Fortner was 32nd in the NFL in pass protection grades among the league’s 32 starting centers in 2023 based on Pro Football Focus analytics.

Morse has played in 126 career regular-season games.

The Jaguars also announced the contract extension of offensive lineman Blake Hance on Monday. Terms were not disclosed.

Hance, 28, played in all 17 games with one start last season for Jacksonville, who claimed him off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 31, 2022. He has appeared in 50 games (nine starts) with the Cleveland Browns (2020-21), 49ers (2022) and Jaguars.

–Field Level Media

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) draws back to pass Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Bills announce 2-year deal for QB Mitch Trubisky

Quarterback Mitch Trubisky signed a two-year contract with the Buffalo Bills on Thursday.

Financial terms were not disclosed by the team for Trubisky, who mutually agreed to part ways with the Pittsburgh Steelers last month with two years remaining on a three-year, $19.4 million contract.

Trubisky, 29, will be making his second stint in Western New York. He spent the 2021 season in Buffalo seeing limited action in support of Josh Allen, going 6 of 8 for 43 yards and rushing for 24 yards and a touchdown over six games (no starts).

Trubisky joined the Steelers as a free agent in 2022, the same year Pittsburgh selected quarterback Kenny Pickett in the first round of the draft. Trubisky began that season as the starting quarterback but soon gave way to Pickett.

While Pickett dealt with injury and regression in 2023, Trubisky made two starts before the Steelers eventually turned to Mason Rudolph, who helped guide the team to a wild-card berth.

In 12 games (seven starts) for Pittsburgh, Trubisky completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 1,884 yards, eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He added four rushing touchdowns.

Since entering the league as the No. 2 overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft by Chicago, Trubisky has amassed 12,536 passing yards, 72 touchdowns and 48 picks across 69 games (57 starts) with the Bears (2017-20), Bills and Steelers. He is 31-26 all-time as a starter.

–Field Level Media

Jan 15, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer (21) at a press conference after a 2024 AFC wild card game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Bills to release All-Pro S Jordan Poyer

The Buffalo Bills are releasing All-Pro safety Jordan Poyer in a bid to get under the salary cap ahead of free agency, multiple media outlets reported on Wednesday.

Poyer, who played seven seasons with the Bills, carried a cap hit of $7.72 million and a dead cap value of $2 million.

ESPN reported the Bills also plan to restructure the contract of cornerback Rasul Douglas to save approximately $2.5 million against their cap.

Poyer, 32, recorded 100 tackles and one sack in 16 games (all starts) last season.

Named an All-Pro in 2021 and a Pro Bowl selection in 2022, Poyer has totaled 806 tackles, 24 interceptions and 12 sacks in 155 career games (117 starts) with the Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns and Bills. He was selected by the Eagles in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

Douglas, 29, had 61 tackles and five interceptions in 16 games (15 starts) last season split between the Green Bay Packers and Bills. He has 19 interceptions to go with 383 tackles and two forced fumbles over 105 career games (65 starts) for the Eagles, Carolina Panthers, Packers and Bills.

–Field Level Media

Jan 21, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills guard David Edwards (76) against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2024 AFC divisional round game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Bills re-signing G David Edwards to 2-year deal

The Buffalo Bills are signing guard David Edwards to a two-year, $6 million extension, per multiple reports on Wednesday.

Edwards, who turns 27 on March 20, came off the bench in all 17 games during his first season with the Bills in 2023.

He played in 53 games (45 starts) over his first four NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, who drafted him in the fifth round in 2019.

Retaining Edwards was a priority for Buffalo. Earlier this week, the Bills traded guard Ryan Bates to the Chicago Bears for a 2024 fifth-round draft pick.

–Field Level Media

Oct 16, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Ryan Bates (71) warms up against the Kansas City Chiefs prior to the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Bears acquire OL Ryan Bates from Bills for fifth-round pick

The Buffalo Bills are trading offensive lineman Ryan Bates to the Chicago Bears for a fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft.

The deal is pending a physical and will become official when the new league year begins March 13, the Bills announced Monday.

Bates, 27, played the first five seasons of his NFL career with Buffalo. He has seen action in 73 regular-season games, starting 19, along with nine playoff games (four starts).

Bates was the Bills’ starting right guard for 15 games in 2022 before restructuring his contract and moving to a reserve role last year. His contract lasts through 2025.

–Field Level Media

Bills head coach Sean McDermott is fired up after a field goal.

Bills have work to do to get below increased salary cap

INDIANAPOLIS — When Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane heard the NFL salary cap was set at $255.4 million, he couldn’t contain his excitement.

“To get to $255 (million), I was smiling,” Beane said at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday.

Beane said he was expecting the cap to be $10 million to $15 million lower. Still, the Bills were a whopping $41 million over the figure last week.

“Every dollar you get can help you,” Beane said. “We’re working through now on guys to restructure or modify (contracts).”

The Bills are about to tackle the situation on all levels and restructured the deal of starting left guard Connor McGovern on Monday to save a reported $3.74 million in cap space.

Part of the modifications will be key in terms of developing options to retain some of Buffalo’s own free agents.

Key players who will become unrestricted free agents next month include defensive end Lawrence Floyd, outside linebacker Tyrel Dodson, defensive end A.J. Epenesa, defensive tackle DaQuan Jones and receiver Gabe Davis.

“Now that we know the cap, we’re working on getting under and how much can we create without piling up a huge mess in ’25 or ’26.” Beane said. “We will have conversations with those guys and all our free agents.”

One guy who doesn’t have to fear becoming a cap casualty is receiver Stefon Diggs, who will be entering the first season of a four-year, $96 million extension.

“I expect him to be here,” Beane said of Diggs. “Nothing has changed from that standpoint.”

Buffalo (11-6 in 2023) has won four consecutive AFC East titles and has qualified for the playoffs in five straight seasons. But the Bills reached the AFC Championship Game just once during the span, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs to end their 2020 season.

Buffalo coach Sean McDermott is bullish that the Super Bowl door will be knocked down soon.

“I believe we’re doing things the right way,” McDermott said. “You only fail if you quit, and I’ve never done that. I’ve never been about that. Whatever it is, you always figure it out. You always find a way to get there.”

Beane said he can feel the breakthrough coming, too.

“This is season 8 for us and we’re frustrated as ever to win,” Beane said. “We’re going to do everything we can.

“Every year is its own year. We know the challenge ahead. When you’ve won the division four times in a row, it gets harder, it’s not going to get easier. … We’re confident at the right time we’ll get it done.”

–Field Level Media