Buffalo Bills sign defensive end Mario Addison to a three year deal

According to a report, the Buffalo Bills agreed to a three-year deal with former Carolina Panthers’ defensive end Mario Addison.

The connection between the Buffalo Bills and the Carolina Panthers added another piece on Monday night as the Bills reportedly agree to a three-year deal with defensive end Mario Addison, according to ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques.

While there is some concern about his age, as Addison will be 33 in the early part of the 2020 season, his production has not slowed down. In the past four seasons, Addison has had at least nine sacks each year, including a career high of 11 in 2017.

Mario Addison started his career with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent and after stops with the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins, he joined the Carolina Panthers after they signed him towards the end of the 2012 season off the Redskins’ practice squad.

Addison then played the next three seasons under Sean McDermott, who at the time was the defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers.

The signing of Addison likely is the Bills replacement for the loss of Shaq Lawson, who reportedly joined the rival Miami Dolphins on a three-year deal worth $30 million. He will now join a rotation of Jerry Hughes, Trent Murphy and Darryl Johnson to try and revitalize a pass rush that was lackluster at times last year.

While Addison addresses a need and should be a great locker room presence, the only question left is how the three-year deal is structured. It remains to be seen but Addison likely will begin to slow down in terms of production at this point in his career.

However, the Bills can structure the deal to minimize dead cap past this season and this will help provide a better understanding if the team made a good move or not.