Add linebacker Nigel Bradham to the list of Buffalo Bills defenders willing to take less money to keep playing in Orchard Park in 2016 and beyond.
The pending free agent is quoted as saying he'd be willing to sign a one-year, "prove it" deal to remain with the Bills in 2016 - but only if he has to - in a recent piece published by Ty Dunne at The Buffalo News.
"If I have to do another year to prove it," Bradham said, "it's not a big deal. If it is, it is, if that’s how they feel. I've been in the league four years now. I should have enough out there.
"If not, it's nothing for me to go and prove it. I've got the talent to prove it."
Bradham, who won't turn 27 until just before the 2016 regular season begins, just finished his second season as a full-time starter for the Bills (although he missed the last five games of the year with an ankle injury). After a stellar 2014 season (one that prompted rumors of the Bills wanting to sign him long-term), Bradham was among many Bills defenders who disappointed statistically in 2015, as he finished the year with just 59 tackles and one sack.
Still, experienced linebackers with Bradham's blend of size and speed are not easy to find. Although the Bills are expected to tweak their personnel at several defensive positions this offseason, keeping Bradham around wouldn't be a bad idea, especially if he's willing to sign on the cheap.
That probably would not happen until after Bradham tests the free agent market, however, and it's possible that a team with a 4-3 base defense could offer Bradham a reasonable multi-year contract. Should that not happen, however, the door is open for Bradham's return to Buffalo. He was, after all, their best linebacker this season.
Veteran cornerback Leodis McKelvin also told The Buffalo News recently that he'd be willing to take a pay cut to return to the team in 2016.