AFC East winners and losers from first wave of NFL free agency

Henry McKenna

AFC East Reporter

The AFC East might have gotten worse during the early phase of free agency. 

It’s not time for any of the teams to panic, however. The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins knew they would have to shed talent to get under the salary cap. The New York Jets, hoping to keep their salary cap situation healthy, were not expected to spend big money. 

But the New England Patriots were expected to be big players in this year’s free agency, between their $100 million in cap space and new head coach Jerod Mayo joking they were going to “burn some cash” (a comment he later walked back). Beyond retaining some of their own players, it has been a quiet free agency for New England. That has so far been the biggest surprise.

So let’s take a look at some of the biggest winners and losers from the transactions so far.

WINNERS

Jordan Poyer, safety, Dolphins 

With Buffalo managing a cap crunch, the Bills decided that Poyer was expendable. And when you look at the contract he signed with Miami (one year, $2 million), the veteran safety doesn’t exactly look like a true free agency winner in a fiscal sense. But he joins a secondary that includes Jevon Holland and Jalen Ramsey. Poyer leaves one AFC East team that’s perennially competing for a Super Bowl to join another that intends to do just that. Plus, signing with the Dolphins means he gets a chance for revenge twice a year. 

Khalil Shakir, WR, Bills 

Buffalo replaced receiver Gabe Davis, who left for the Jaguars, with Mack Hollins. That’s a significant downgrade on the perimeter. The Bills were comfortable making that decision because they saw Shakir get hot at the end of the season. They are likely going to make heavy use of Stefon Diggs, Shakir, Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox in 2024. Buffalo will probably draft a rookie receiver high — maybe even in the first round — but the Bills won’t count on that youngster or Hollins to have major roles in the…

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Publish date : 2024-03-14 16:35:56

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