ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Rather than losing a game paycheck of more than $191,000, Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters made plans Friday to end his holdout and report to the team by Saturday.
Though Peters and his representatives were unavailable for comment, Bills chief operating officer Russ Brandon released a statement saying, "It is our understanding that Jason has filed a reinstatement letter with the National Football League and that he is reporting to One Bills Drive (the team's headquarters) tomorrow morning."
The NFL confirmed that Peters has sent them a letter requesting reinstatement, which is a requirement in this case because the player is on the Bills' reserve-did-not-report list.
Peters, who had offseason surgery to repair a sports hernia, must still pass a team physical making it very unlikely that he will play Sunday, when the Bills open their regular season hosting Seattle. Pending his health and how quickly he becomes accustomed to learning the team's new offensive scheme, Peters would have an outside shot at playing the following weekend when Buffalo travels to Jacksonville.
Peters has three years left on his contract but began his holdout this spring in an attempt to force the Bills into restructuring his deal.
Peters' decision to report came as he stood to lose his first game check of more than $191,000, or one-seventeenth of his $3.25 million base salary for this season. Peters has already been fined by the Bills more than $560,000 for missing all of the team's training camp sessions as well as two mandatory spring minicamp practices.
It's unclear whether Peters' contract situation has been resolved or what assurances he's received from the Bills involving a new deal. The Bills, throughout the dispute, have been steadfast in maintaining they wanted Peters to play under his existing contract this season before opening talks for a new deal.
Peters has not commented publicly on his holdout. His agents, Eugene Parker and Vincent Taylor, have not returned calls from the Associated Press.
The story of Peters' intention to report was first reported by NFL.com earlier in the day, which reported that Peters did not receive a new contract. The report, which didn't cite sources, added, "Both sides have agreed to maintain an open dialogue throughout the season with the hopes of striking a deal that will satisfy both sides."
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