Ryan joins Bills day after release
Canadian punter spent the last 10 seasons as a Seahawks favourite
It didn’t take Jon Ryan long to find new home.
The Buffalo Bills announced Tuesday that they have signed the Regina-born punter to a one-year contract. The move comes a day after the Seattle Seahawks released Ryan after 10 seasons.
Ryan will be reunited with kicker Steven Hauschka, who’s also a former Seahawk.
Ryan posted a lengthy goodbye to the Seahawks and their fans on social media Monday morning.
“I never wanted this day to come, but knew it would someday,” Ryan wrote. Ryan was among the most popular Seahawks players for his skill as a punter and his personality off the field. But his time in Seattle appeared to be up when Michael Dickson was selected in the fifth round of this year’s draft.
Ryan played for three head coaches in Seattle, starting with Mike Holmgren in 2008, Jim Mora in 2009 and the past eight seasons under Pete Carroll.
He was responsible for one of the most important touchdowns in franchise history, throwing a TD pass on a trick play in the 2014 NFC Championship game that helped Seattle reach its second straight Super Bowl.
Ryan’s note had a special message for Seattle fans. “You embraced a paleskinned, red-headed Canadian with a speech impediment and made him feel like a superstar,” Ryan wrote. “I will forever be grateful.”
Ryan signed with Seattle in 2008, after two seasons with the Green Bay Packers. He began his pro career with the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Ryan is sixth in the NFL among active players in punting yards. He’s recorded 914 career punts south of the border and had just seven blocked, the fewest among active punters. INCOGNITO ARRESTED: Authorities say former NFL offensive lineman Richie Incognito has been arrested on charges he threatened to shoot employees of a funeral home.
Scottsdale, Ariz., police said Incognito was being held on suspicion of misdemeanour charges of threats and disorderly conduct.
Police said Incognito was at the Messinger Pinnacle Peak Mortuary on Monday to make arrangements for his father, who died last weekend.
“Incognito reportedly was upset with staff and began to damage property inside the business and shout at employees,” said Sgt. Ben Hoster, a police spokesman. “At several points during his contact with staff, Incognito threatened to retrieve guns from his vehicle and return to shoot the employees.”
Incognito attended a Phoenix-area high school before an 11-year NFL career with St. Louis, Miami and Buffalo.
He was suspended by the Dolphins in 2013 for bullying a teammate and arrested last May in Florida for allegedly throwing a dumbbell. ON CRUZ CONTROL: Former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz retired Tuesday and said he plans to join ESPN as an NFL analyst.
Cruz, 31, was a seven-year NFL veteran and a 2012 Pro Bowl selection. He joined the Giants in 2010 as an undrafted free agent out of Massachusetts. He had his first 1,000-yard season and caught a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl victory over the Patriots in February 2012.
Cruz had 303 catches for 4,549 yards and 25 touchdowns. He was signed by the Chicago Bears in 2017 but cut before the season.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning said Cruz had a terrific career.
“He had a great feel for the offence, his routes, and he was tough to cover,” Manning said Tuesday. “He would run down the field, break it in, and we gave him a lot of options. He mastered some of those concepts, and it gave him a great opportunity to get open and make big plays for us.” Manning said he and Cruz talked in the Giants’ locker room two weeks ago, and he wished him well “going to the dark side.”