Bills lock up quarterback Josh Allen with 6-year deal, Al Woods returns to Seahawks | CBC Sports

The two sides were in no rush. Allen was under contract through the 2022 season after the Bills in May picked up the player’s fifth-year option, worth nearly $23 million US.

Allen has earned a significant raise following a breakthrough season in which he set numerous franchise passing and scoring records in leading Buffalo to its first AFC East title since 1995 and deepest playoff run in 27 years. Buffalo’s season ended with a loss to Kansas City in the AFC championship game.

In doing so, the 25-year-old Allen solidified a position that had been unsettled in Buffalo since Hall of Famer Jim Kelly retired after the 1996 season.

Allen opened training camp by saying he’s not concerned about contract talks.

“Whether it happens or it doesn’t happen, it’s not going to change my approach to be the best teammate, the best leader I can be for this team and this organization,” Allen said. “My focus is completely on the field.”

Dolphins don’t plan on departing from Howard

The Miami Dolphins have no intention of trading Xavien Howard despite the All-Pro cornerback’s desire to play elsewhere.

“We don’t want to trade X,” coach Brian Flores said Friday. “Write that down. He’s a very good player. He’s a great part of the team.”

The two-time Pro Bowl selection is unhappy about his contract. Talks with Howard and his agent are ongoing.

“As long as the lines of communication are open, as long as everyone is willing to compromise, then we can get something done,” Flores said. 

Howard requested a trade via Instagram on July 27, the day Dolphins reported for training camp. He signed a five-year extension in May 2019 and is signed through 2024.

Flores declined to say whether the Dolphins have fielded trade calls regarding Howard, who led the NFL with 10 interceptions last year. He has been sidelined in recent practices because of an ankle injury, but took part in a walk-through Friday.

Howard became the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback when he signed his $75.1 million extension, but has since fallen to sixth. Howard pointed out in his Instagram post that he is no longer the highest-paid cornerback on his own team, having been overtaken by Byron Jones, who signed an $82.5 million, five-year deal as an unrestricted free agent before the 2020 offseason.

Woods returns to NFL with Seahawks

Defensive tackle Al Woods always intended to continue his NFL career when he joined the small group of players who opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Seattle Seahawks feel like they’re the beneficiaries of Woods’ decision to keep on playing.

“I had a huge smile on my face. I wanted to get him back here. It’s a blessing to have him back,” defensive line coach Clint Hurtt said. “This is a stud guy. He is the example for any young player, not just the linemen, any young player, what it is to be a man. To be a pro’s pro, how to take care of your body, family, understanding the balance between life and football.”

It was his understanding of that balance that led Woods to step away from the NFL last summer as he was getting ready to start a season with Jacksonville after spending 2019 with Seattle. With his wife pregnant with their third child, who was born this March, Woods was in the final day of intake testing with the Jaguars when he decided football needed to take a backseat.

Woods was one of 67 players to bypass playing last year due to the pandemic. It was a needed break, he said, after having been beat up by 10 seasons in the league and a number of injuries after the conclusion of the 2019 season with Seattle.

But Woods remained engaged with the league, sitting down every Sunday to watch two teams in particular: the Jaguars, who retained his rights, and the Seahawks.

“You find yourself actually in the game,” Woods said. “You know the call. You see when they line up, ‘OK, I know the defence.’ You’re playing the game in your head. Then you’re critiquing the guy that you’re watching … It becomes more analyzing film than actually sitting there enjoying the game.”

Woods, 34, started training in December to get himself ready for this season but was released by the Jaguars during the offseason.

About a week later, Seattle called.

“He’s big, strong, and he has a certain presence about him,” defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. said. “When you have a guy that size it gives you a certain confidence that you can go into any fight as long as you have a big man like that with you. He’s a leader, guys look up to him, and we talk about being dominant up front. That’s the kind of guy you like getting off of the bus first.”

Woods’ best statistical season came in 2017 when he started all 16 games for Indianapolis and had 44 tackles. In Seattle, he’ll be part of a rotation of defensive tackles that includes Poona Ford, Bryan Mone and Robert Nkemdiche.