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Bills stop talks for three veterans
By MARK GAUGHAN
News Sports Reporter
6/16/2004
The Buffalo Bills have called a halt to contract extension talks with three prominent veterans whose contracts are up next year.
The Bills had sent out initial contract offers to the agents for tackle Jonas Jennings, defensive end Aaron Schobel and defensive tackle Pat Williams earlier this spring. All three will be free agents in March 2005.
However, negotiations have not gone far. The Bills faxed out letters last week that said they were suspending negotiations for the time being, according to two NFL sources.
It's another indication it's going to be hard for the team to get any of the three to take themselves off the market before their contracts run out.
Meanwhile, the Bills entertained free-agent linebacker Jason Gildon on Tuesday. He was cut this month by the Pittsburgh Steelers. If signed, the 32-year-old veteran likely would vie for a roster spot as a situational pass rusher.
The reason for the moratorium on talks is believed to be the team does not want them to become too much of a distraction for the players. The Bills haven't ruled out reopening the talks, and they may take another shot with the three linemen. However, if no deals are struck before training camp, the prospect of an extension figure to be very slim.
The Bills sent out offers to the three more than a month ago after the contract extension for Drew Bledsoe freed up about $4 million of space under the Bills' salary cap. But the Bills let the agents know that the team still only had enough cap space to extend one of the three. So far, the sides have not been close to an agreement.
Jennings and Schobel both will turn 27 this fall and have started for three straight seasons.
The market at offensive tackle and defensive end both has skyrocketed the past couple years. Tackles such as Todd Wade (Houston), John Tait (Chicago) and Chad Clifton (Green Bay) each signed contracts with bonuses of $10 million or more this year.
Schobel's sack totals the past three years have risen from 6.5 to 8.5 to 11.5. He could be in for a big payday with another double-digit sack season.
Williams would be less expensive to extend than Jennings or Schobel because he turns 32 this fall. Still, his tackle production has been excellent the past two years, and he plays a high-demand position.
Gildon has 77 sacks over 10 seasons and made two Pro Bowls. However, he saw his sack total drop from nine to six last year. The Steelers replaced him with Clark Haggins, a four-year veteran. Gildon has played the 3-4 system his whole career. It would be hard to envision him beating out starting strong side backer Jeff Posey in the Bills' 4-3 scheme, but he could challenge for pass-rushing duties.
"Definitely, I don't think I've lost my knack for getting to the quarterback," Gildon said. "I'm just looking for the right system to fit in. Personally it was definitely a disappointing season for me (in 2003). We didn't get off to the kind of start we wanted to. But it's time for me to put that behind me. That era of my life is definitely closed and it's time for me to move on."
Gildon was one of the Steelers' team captains last year. He also has visited Green Bay and Chicago.
The Bills ranked ninth in the NFL last year in sacks per pass attempt.
Damn, I was really hoping to get one of these guys....Crap. Maybe this means they will be signing Gildon?
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