It was clear the Bills put a lot of time into crafting a competitive offer sheet for Miami transition player Charles Clay. A week after the tight end visited One Bills Drive, Buffalo has Clay's signature on the offer sheet they presented to him.
The offer sheet, whose terms were not disclosed by the club, now goes to the Miami Dolphins as the AFC East rival has five days to match the deal or lose the versatile tight end without any compensation. The deadline for Miami to match Buffalo's offer and keep Clay on their roster is Sunday night at midnight, going into Monday morning.
Miami could also choose to rescind the transition tag on Clay, which would eliminate the five-day timeline and make the tight end Bills property effective immediately.
The Bills appear to be pushing all their chips to the middle of the table at tight end when it comes to landing Clay. They sent head coach Rex Ryan, offensive coordinator Greg Roman and tight ends coach Tony Sparano Jr. to pick up Clay on a private jet last Tuesday, the first day of free agency. The trio of coaches brought him back to Buffalo for a free agent visit. A day later the club released veteran TE Scott Chandler.
Clay, who just turned 26 last month, has been a significant part of Miami's offense the past two seasons with 127 receptions over that span with nine touchdowns. What makes Clay so attractive is his versatility.
The four-year veteran has demonstrated an ability to be an in-line tight end, line up detached, as an H-back and has even served as a fullback on occasion for the Dolphins.
Under new offensive coordinator Greg Roman, Buffalo's offense will use multiple tight end sets and a 'do-everything' talent like Clay would prove valuable.
The only other tight ends currently on Buffalo's roster are Chris Gragg, Marqueis Gray and Chris Manhertz.
Miami recently signed TE Jordan Cameron to a reported two-year deal worth $15M last Thursday.
