Bills Land Drayton Florence, Antonio Cromartie Not on the Block

It was rumored yesterday that Antonio Cromartie might be on his way out of San Diego, provided that the Chargers could land Drayton Florence, the man Cromartie replaced after Florence left for Jacksonville last year.

But Florence signed with the Bills late Tuesday evening, and A.J. Smith very quickly alerted the media that Cromartie would remain a Charger in 2009.

Florence was part of a cost-cutting sweep by the Jaguars and found himself on the free agency market for the second time in as many seasons, after signing a (now) seemingly insane six-year, $36 million deal ($12 million of which was guaranteed) and being released this offseason.

Terms of the deal with Buffalo haven't been released to the press yet, but it seems likely that he was paid well ... but not as well as last year; the economy, if you haven't heard, is doing as well right now as it was last summer.

For the Bills, this is good news -- they gain depth at cornerback and get to let Jabari Greer walk. But the potentially more impact-ridden effect of this deal is that it firmly plants Cromartie in San Diego for 2009. Smith never acknowledged being willing to trade the young star after his poor 2008 showing, but the rumors were swirling, provided the Chargers could lock up Florence.

They didn't obviously, and the Bolts' GM is saying, "He's not being traded." But remember, LaDainian Tomlinson's situation is still up in the air, so there still aren't any absolute guarantees.