The Bills have made progress in their bid to re-sign Stevie Johnson before the receiver is eligible to become a free agent. Johnson's agent, C.J. LaBoy, said he was "very optimistic" after describing talks as being "productive." Buffalo general manager Buddy Nix told a Toronto radio station that the two sides met and that talks will continue. "We're still talking. It's an ongoing thing," Nix told TSN Radio. "As long as there's communication, you've got a chance."

There is growing optimism that the Bills will renew their deal to play games in Toronto beyond this season. "We continue to have dialogue, just as we did at the Super Bowl in Indy, and we're optimistic that an agreement could be reached," Rogers Communications Media president Keith Pelley said. "We're definitely interested in continuing the relationship with the Bills in Toronto." Pelley wouldn't provide specifics on the length or terms of a potential extension to the existing five-year deal, but did say that Rogers is not looking to expand the number of regular-season games the Bills play in Toronto. "No," he said. "At this point, without getting into any details of the conversation, I think that it would be a deal that would that would certainly work for both sides. We're not looking to increase the number of games."

The Bills are "far apart" in talks with Stevie Johnson regarding a new contract. The wide receiver doesn't expect the team to use its franchise tag to retain him, according to a source. Johnson has led the Bills in receiving in each of the past two seasons and is eligible to become a free agent next month.

The Raiders released him a week ago, but Stanford Routt may be close to signing with a new team. The cornerback visited the Bengals, Bills and Chiefs this past week and other teams are reported to have interest.

The Bills and potential free-agent receiver Stevie Johnson have exchanged contract offers and plan to meet again at the NFL combine in Indianapolis next week, a person familiar with discussions told The Associated Press. The Buffalo News first reported the development, citing an unnamed league source, on its website on Thursday.

The Bills and Dolphins will transition from the 3-4 to the 4-3 in 2012, which will likely impact their draft plans. "The feeling was that Buffalo perhaps had an edge in personnel ready for the conversion, but that the Bills and Dolphins still had some work to do, and that their drafts would reflect the change," according to CBS Sports.

The Bills expect to be players on the free agent market this offseason. Buffalo is one of two teams who have reportedly already scheduled a meeting with ex-Raiders cornerback Stanford Routt, who was released in the first surprise move of the NFL offseason Thursday.

The Bills want to give Fred Jackson a contract extension, but C.J. Spiller hopes and plans to start at running back. If Spiller isn't named Buffalo's starter, things could get rough in Northern New York. Spiller was No. 1 on the team's depth chart in the second half of the 2011 season after Jackson's season-ending leg injury. The ninth overall pick in the 2010 draft finished the year with 561 yards rushing, and an average of 5.2 yards per carry.

The Bills have re-signed kicker Rian Lindell. Lindell was re-signed before he was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next month. He returns for a 10th season in Buffalo, where he is the team's second-leading scorer with 878 career points. He had played in 180 straight games before being sidelined by a season-ending shoulder injury in November.