3 questionable free agency moves by the Bills to cheer up Patriots fans 

Every other AFC East team has had a better 2024 free-agency period than the Patriots and it's not particularly close.

The Patriots have signed eight players, and really only Austin Hooper and Sione Taktaki are even remotely interesting or fill a need. But that won’t stop us from picking apart the other moves in the division. And as nineteenth-century philosophical pessimist (no, really, it’s a thing) Arthur Schopenhauer famously said, “To feel envy is human, to savor schadenfreude is devilish.”

Well, people, you heard the man. Let’s get devilish. Here’s a look at some Bills free agency that could cheer up Patriots fans. 

3 questionable free agency moves by the Bills to cheer up Patriots fans 

Losing Gabe Davis and Mitch Morse to Jacksonville 

Sure, the weather is warmer. But Jacksonville? Can’t you get pancakes in Buffalo? Davis didn’t have as good a season in 2023 as he did in 2022, but they do call him “Big Game Gabe.”

He still had three big games last season, racked up 130 receiving yards on just four catches against the Chargers, and caught seven touchdowns in 2023, which was 24.1% of the Bills' total. They have signed two new receivers (more on that later), but Davis will be missed. 

According to the Bills’ own website, Mitch Morse was known as the dad of the team. So, he seems like a pretty huge loss. He’s also a really, really good football player.

Morse only allowed a single sack and drew just five penalties on the 1,273 snaps he played in 2023. In 2022, Morse was ranked the 10th best center in the league, and in 2023, PFF ranked him the 13th best.

The Bills have replaced him with Will Clapp, who was with the Chargers last season. Clapp only played 706 offensive snaps in 2023 and the Chargers gave up 43 sacks in 2023, 19 more than the Bills allowed. 

Signing Curtis Samuel to a 3-year deal 

Samuel is a fine player, but $24 million is a lot. Even though it’s spread over three years, the $8 million AAV is more than CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson will make this season! 

Samuel will probably replace Gabe Davis (although the Bills have signed Mack Hollis to a much more reasonable $2.6 million deal). But it’s not really a great comparison. Davis is 24, and Samuel is 27. Samuel averages 10.7 yards per reception throughout his career, compared to Davis's 16.7. Samuel is also three inches shorter than Davis and 30 lbs. lighter.

Hollins is more Davis's size; in fact, he’s two inches taller. Samuel is more Stef Diggs size, but Diggs is still a Bills player. Maybe that’s something to keep an eye on. Or maybe Joe Brady is going to line up with four wideouts?

He was the passing game coordinator for LSU in 2019 when Joe Burrow was throwing passes to Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Terrace Marshall, and Racey McMath (who is a Dallas Cowboy, who knew?). Western New York isn’t like Baton Rouge, though, is it? 

Re-signing Mitch Trubisky  

If you can’t laugh when another NFL team signs Trubisky, when can you? Trubisky threw six passes for the Bills in 2021, one of which was intercepted.

Obviously, he’s a backup, and he’s probably better than Shane Buechele (the other quarterback who isn’t Josh Allen). But it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Bills drafted another signal caller in the sixth or seventh round.

There’s a lot of talent in this year's draft class.  

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