It's been well over a month since we last ran an approval poll on the job performance of Buffalo Bills GM Buddy Nix. After initially forgetting to run it at the start of the month (my bad!), the plan then became to wait until the first furious week of 2013 NFL free agency died down before we recapped the past six weeks. That moment has arrived, so here's the meat and potatoes of what Nix has been involved with over the last month.
All of the Bills' major roster decisions are in this StoryStream, and can be summarized as follows:
- Franchise tag: FS Jairus Byrd (one year, $6.916 million when signed)
- Re-signings: QB Tarvaris Jackson (one year, $2.25 million with another $2.25 million in incentives), HB Dorin Dickerson (ERFA tender), OG Colin Brown (two years, $1.4 million), LB Bryan Scott (one year, $940,000), CB Leodis McKelvin (four years, $17 million)
- Cuts: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (free agent), LB Nick Barnett (free agent), CB Terrence McGee (free agent), SS George Wilson (two years, $4 million with Titans)
- Free agent signings: OLB Manny Lawson (four years, $12 million from Bengals)
- Free agent departures: WR Donald Jones (three years, $4.2 million with Patriots), WR David Nelson (free agent), OG Andy Levitre (six years, $46.8 million with Titans), OG Chad Rinehart (one year, $1.75 million with Chargers)
- Retirements: DE Chris Kelsay, DE Shawne Merriman
On the free agent front, we know that the Bills were involved on the bidding for two other players: tight end Delanie Walker (Titans) and defensive lineman Mike DeVito (Chiefs). Nix has also attended several pro day workouts in the buildup to the 2013 NFL Draft, highlighted most recently with a trip to West Virginia to check out quarterback Geno Smith.
Finally, team President/CEO Russ Brandon again denied that a transition plan is in place to replace Nix, even though the team signed Assistant GM Doug Whaley to a contract extension and hinted at that very possibility just days later.
For an archive of past Nix approval polls here at Buffalo Rumblings (as well as links to hubs for Brandon and Marrone), be sure to check out the Nix approval ratings hub.