A year ago, the Patriots signed wide receiver Chris Hogan to an offer sheet, the Bills chose not to match it and Hogan went from backup in Buffalo to 14-game starter in New England where he won a Super Bowl in his first season. And now it's Mike Gillislee's turn. The Pats signed the running back to an offer sheet earlier this month and Monday the Bills declined to match the two-year, $6.4 million deal.
For their troubles, the Bills will get a fifth-round pick from the Patriots as compensation for the restricted free agent.
Of course, it didn't have to end this way; Gillislee, who rushed for 577 yards (5.7 yards per carry) and eight touchdowns last season, ranked first among all running backs in value per play, according to Football Outsiders' metrics. And for all that production, the Bills only offered Gillislee a $1.79 million tender. If they had instead offered a second-round tender -- which was $2.7 million -- the Patriots likely wouldn't have put in an offer.
The Bills are lousy at giving RFAs tenders. A $1.797M tender instead of a 2nd tender round for Mike Gillislee was inviting an offer sheet.
— Joel Corry (@corryjoel) April 18, 2017
By the way: This is exactly what happened last offseason with Hogan. And now Gillislee joins the defending Super Bowl champs, who have already added Rex Burkhead and Stephon Gilmore since March. Put another way: The Pats' backfield remains stacked. In addition to Tom Brady, there's Dion Lewis, James White and the aforementioned Burkehead and Gillislee. The odd man out: LeGarrette Blount, who remains a free agent.
