Former NFL first-round pick spurns the Jets, joining AFC East rival, per report

It’s been a wild 36 hours for former Minnesota Vikings safety Lewis Cine. 

The former first-round pick was cut by Minnesota on Tuesday after just two seasons with the team. After being released, it looked like Cine was going to sign with the Jets‘ practice squad on Wednesday, but that didn’t happen. 

After thinking things over, the 24-year-old ended up spurning the Jets, and he’s now expected to sign with the Buffalo Bills, according to NFL.com. Cine’s decision to go to Buffalo comes after he had a deal all but signed with the Jets. According to ESPN, the Jets were “expecting him to fly in for a physical and signing,” but obviously, he never showed up. 

One reason the Bills were able to steal Cine away from the Jets likely has to do with their coaching staff. The cornerbacks coach in Buffalo is Jahmile Addae, who also served as Cine’s college position coach in 2021 when both were at the University of Georgia. 

Cine had an impressive final season at UGA, which is a big reason why he ended up being a first-round pick. The Vikings selected Cine with the 32nd overall pick in 2022, but he never really saw the field due to a variety of factors. He suffered a season-ending injury during Week 4 of his rookie year. Although Cine returned to the field in 2023, he only played in seven games and most of his playing time came on special teams. 

The Bills already have several safeties on their roster with Taylor Rapp, Cole Bishop, Damar Hamlin and Mike Edwards in place, so Cine is expected to join the team’s practice squad.