Clay headed to Buffalo after Dolphins decline to match offer

Mar 19, 2015 - 4:40 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Charles Clay will become a member of the Buffalo Bills after the Miami Dolphins reportedly declined to match an offer sheet the tight end signed on Wednesday.

Miami placed the transition tag on Clay earlier this month, allowing him to field offers from other teams. The Bills made such an offer and the Dolphins had five days to match.

However, both dolphins.com and NFL.com cited sources as saying Miami needed just one day to make the decision to let Clay go to its AFC East rival.

Terms of the contract weren't disclosed by the Bills, but NFL.com reported the deal to be worth $38 million over five years, including $24.5 million over the first two years. Under the transition tag, Clay would have earned about $7.7 million in 2015 with the Dolphins, who could not work out a long-term deal with the four-year veteran.

Clay had played his entire career with the Dolphins, making the transition from fullback in college to tight end. He caught 58 passes for 605 yards and three touchdowns last season after hauling in a career-best 69 passes for 759 yards with six scores in 2013.

In 58 games, 47 of which have been starts, the Tulsa product has 161 receptions for 1,809 yards with 14 touchdowns.

The Dolphins have already added a tight end through free agency, signing Jordan Cameron to a two-year deal.