The New England Patriots are showing interest in Buffalo Bills restricted guard agent guard Ryan Bates, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News in Saint Paul. Bates will likely meet with the Patriots at Gillette Stadium after spending time with the Minnesota Vikings.
The Bills placed a “right of first refusal” tender offer upon Bates, which means Buffalo can try to match any offer the other 31 teams make. Unlike other RFAs with draft-pick tender offers (like Jakobi Meyers), the Patriots would not owe Buffalo a draft pick if Bates signed in New England.
The 25-year-old guard started four games to finish out the 2021 season, and had an impressive game against the Patriots during their only playoff appearance last season. He was an undrafted free agent out of Penn State in 2019 and landed with the Philadelphia Eagles, who traded him to the Bills during the course o the 2019 season.
As @DWolfsonKSTP reported last night, the Patriots are showing interest in RFA guard Ryan Bates.
It sounds like he'll come to Foxboro for a free-agent visit. He's already visited the Vikings and there's several teams involved.
He started four games at right guard last season.
— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) March 18, 2022
The Patriots are in need of guard help after losing guard Ted Karras to the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency and trading guard Shaq Mason to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
