Well, maybe make that two and a half. General manager Buddy Nix confirmed Saturday that the team, in addition to communicating with the camps of Andy Levitre and Jairus Byrd, has also contacted the agent of restricted free agent David Nelson, who missed nearly all of last season with a knee injury.
Working out a new contract for Nelson, however, doesn’t seem to be very high up on Nix’s to-do list. (photo: Matt Britt, Flickr)
“To be honest we’ve talked to David and his agent briefly, but we will follow-up on it before free agency starts,” Nix said, via buffalobills.com.
Nelson’s situation isn’t nearly as ominous as that of UFAs Andy Levitre or safety Jairus Byrd, since his restricted status allows the team to match any deal that another team makes if they tender him.
The Bills would certainly need solid production from Nelson this season after declining to re-sign last year’s No. 2 receiver Donald Jones, especially since their wide receiver draft pick from last year, T.J. Graham, hasn’t progressed as quickly as they would have liked. Nelson’s previous contract was a pretty good value for the team given his output in 2011, when he had 61 receptions and more than 650 yards.
Negotiations could come down to how much more Nelson is asking for (his previous contract was three years, $1.2M) and how confident the team is in the progression of his rehab.
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