The 2024 season hasn't officially started, just yet, but that won't stop teams from making moves ahead of time.
For instance, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Mike Evans to a new two-year deal on Monday, officially taking him off the market. About 12 hours later, the Buffalo Bills decided to trade veteran offensive lineman, Ryan Bates, to the Chicago Bears for a fifth-round draft pick, per ESPN 's Adam Schefter. The deal will become official when the new league year starts at 4 p.m. ET on March 13, pending a physical.
Bills played the long game on this one
The Bears actually tried to sign Bates back in 2022, during general manager Ryan Poles' first year with the team. Bates even signed the offer sheet that the Bears presented, but the Bills eventually matched said sheet and Bates remained in Buffalo for the next two seasons after signing a four-year, $17 million deal.
"It stinks," Poles said at the time.
The Bills were able to get an ROI on their initial investment in the form of Bates starting 15 games over the last two seasons, as well as a fifth-rounder from the Bears. The Bills wouldn't have received any draft compensation back in 2022 if they refused to match the offer sheet.
It's obvious the Bears' desire to have Bates on the roster never waned, however. The versatile interior offensive lineman adds solid depth in Chicago, where the team recently released iOL Cody Whitehair and it's very likely backup iOL, Lucas Patrick, won't return in 2024. Nate Davis and Teven Jenkins are the presumed starters at guard, but Bates can play all interior positions, so not only does provide valuable backup services, but he may even compete for the starting center gig. Two of his 19 career starts came at center in 2022 with mixed results.
In all, Bates is entering his sixth NFL season after going undrafted in 2019 and he's appeared in 73 games over the course of his career. Per Spotrac, he'll count $4 million against the cap in both 2024 and 2025.
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