Despite all the magic that Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane has worked so far this offseason, we all knew there would be losses. In addition to fan favorite John Brown, it is now being reported by Adam Caplan that kickoff/punt returner and sometimes wide receiver Andre Roberts is signing with the Houston Texans. While the cynical fan reaction might be “why Houston,” Tom Pelissero from NFL.com has indicated that there are up to 5.95 million reasons why.
Roberts’s deal with the Texans is said to be a two-year deal and that “up to” phrasing noted above suggests there are incentives built into the contract. Despite his value to the team in establishing field position, this does seem like a good deal for Roberts, potentially exceeding the contract he had with the Buffalo Bills.
As noted in our offseason analysis, Andre Roberts brought top-tier kickoff return ability to Buffalo, helping propel the team to a starting field-position average toward the top of the league.
If Buffalo doesn’t sign any qualifying free agents, this contract should be big enough to earn a compensatory pick in 2022.
Update:
Contract details are in and it’s a very good deal for Roberts. With $2.5 million guaranteed including a $1 million signing bonus, he can make up to $5.5 million in salaries plus another $100,000 each year he makes the Pro Bowl.
Andre Roberts (Texans) two years, $5.5M, $1M signing bonus, $2.5M gtd, salaries $1.5M (fully gtd), $2M, annual per game active roster bonus up to $500, $100K Pro Bowl incentive annual
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 16, 2021