Mark Gaughan of The Buffalo News is reporting that the Buffalo Bills and CB Terrence McGee have begun talks on a contract extension. McGee, who will turn 29 this coming October, is in the final year of a four-year, $18 million extension that he signed in October of 2005, and kicked in at the start of the 2006 season. Reportedly, both sides would like to reach a deal before the Bills begin the regular season, on September 14.
As Gaughan astutely points out, it's going to cost a bit more to keep McGee in town this time around - possibly as much as $7-8 million per season, which, as Gaughan mentions, has been the going rate for starting-caliber cornerbacks on the free agent market over the past few seasons.
McGee has been a Bill for seven years, and has been the team's top cornerback for the last two seasons after Nate Clements left for San Francisco in free agency. Also known as an elite return man - a job he no longer holds for the Bills - McGee has 420 career tackles, 16 career interceptions, and has scored three defensive touchdowns (on top of his five career kick return scores). He'll never be considered an elite corner in NFL circles, but he's as dependable as they come, and remains in the prime of his career.
From the sounds of it, McGee would like to finish his career in Buffalo, and the Bills seem willing to provide him with that opportunity. With several promising young players at cornerback, however - including McGee's fellow starter, Leodis McKelvin - it's not imperative that the Bills bring McGee back. Signing him to a reasonable deal would, however, lock in Buffalo's prominent cornerbacks for the foreseeable future.