The Buffalo Bills have contacted free-agent outside linebacker Joey Porter to gauge his interest about playing in their new 3-4 defense, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.
The Miami Dolphins cut Porter on Friday. Schefter reports Porter will visit with the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday, but there's no word on whether he'll grant the Bills an interview.
Bills defensive coordinator George Edwards spent the previous five years coaching the Dolphins' linebackers. Although Edwards handled inside linebackers the past two years, he worked enough with Porter to have an opinion on the sort of impact the four-time Pro Bowler can make. Porter will turn 33 this month.
Buffalo will be a tough sell to Porter. For him to join the Bills, they'll need to toss money bags at him, or he'll have to be out of other options, a la Terrell Owens a year ago.
When he was talking his way off the Dolphins' roster before the Super Bowl, he stated he wanted to play closer to his hometown of Bakersfield, Calif., and named the Cardinals, San Diego Chargers and San Francisco 49ers as favored destinations.
One of Porter's daughters has autism. He frequently would make cross-country flights from South Florida on his regular-season off days to be with his family in California. In October 2008, Porter and his wife opened a center in downtown Bakersfield for special-needs children.