Former NFL linebacker Darron Lee appeared in court on Monday for a preliminary hearing on charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. And the case against him includes some unusual, and particularly incriminating, evidence.
Via Local 3 News, the prosecution offered testimony indicating that Lee had consulted ChatGPT on how to deal with a person who is unresponsive. The message came from Lee’s phone.
Lee also asked ChatGPT about the injuries that would be consistent with someone falling in the shower.
Body camera footage showed Lee telling a police officer that the victim, 29-year-old Gabriella Perpetuo, may have slipped and fallen in the shower but that Lee didn’t know what had happened to her. The police report in the case indicates that blood was found through the house, along with broken glass.
Authorities also said that Perpetuo had “multiple stab wounds, black eyes, bite marks, and blood coming from her nose and mouth.”
Prosecutors have not ruled out seeking the death penalty against Lee.
He was a first-round pick of the Jets in 2016. Lee also played for the Chiefs and the Bills.
In addition to the criminal prosecution, Lee faces a $50 million wrongful-death lawsuit.
Bills Clips
Quarterback Kyle Allen is signing a two-year, $4.1 million deal with the Bills, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Allen has another $2 million in incentives in the contract.
Allen will reunite with his close friend, Josh Allen, after spending the 2023 season as Josh Allen’s backup in Buffalo.
Kyle Allen, 30, was Jared Goff’s backup with the Lions last season. He appeared in only three games and threw only two passes.
He has not started a game since 2022 with the Texans but has appeared in 34 games, with 19 starts, in his career.
Allen has also spent time in Carolina, Washington and Pittsburgh in addition to his stops in Buffalo, Houston and Detroit.
In his career, he has completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 4,753 yards with 26 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.
The Bills have agreed to terms with cornerback Dee Alford on a three-year, $21 million deal, with $10 million guaranteed, according to multiple reports.
Alford, 28, has spent the past four seasons in Atlanta after two seasons in the CFL with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He won the Grey Cup in 2021.
In 2025, Alford posted a career high three interceptions and 13 passes defensed and also contributed 67 tackles and two sacks.
Alford has totaled 216 tackles, 3.5 sacks, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and 10 tackles for loss.
Alford will join Christian Benford and Maxwell Hairston in the Bills’ cornerbacks room.
Fullback Reggie Gilliam is switching sides in the AFC East.
According to multiple reports, Gilliam has agreed to sign with the Patriots after spending the last six seasons in Buffalo. It is reportedly a three-year, $12 million deal for Gilliam.
Gilliam played a core special teams role for the Bills in addition to his work as a blocker and occasional receiver. He had 16 catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns to go with 28 tackles, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 94 regular season games. He also had three catches and two tackles in 14 playoff outings.
Jack Westover was the primary fullback when the Patriots used one in the 2025 season, but that seems likely to change with Gilliam set to join the roster.
The Saints are bringing in a veteran offensive lineman.
According to multiple reports, guard David Edwards is signing a four-year deal with New Orleans.
The initial numbers indicate Edwards’ contract is worth $61 million.
Edwards, 28, spent the last three seasons with the Bills. He started 16 games in each of the last two seasons for the club.
A fifth-round pick in the 2019 draft, Edwards played his first four seasons with the Rams before heading to Buffalo in 2023. He’s appeared in 103 career games with 77 starts for the two franchises.
Cam Ward will have a new backup quarterback in 2026.
According to multiple reports, Mitchell Trubisky has agreed to a two-year deal with the Titans.
The move reunites Trubisky, 31, with Brian Daboll, who served as the quarterback’s offensive coordinator with the Bills in 2021.
Trubisky had been back with Buffalo for the last two seasons after spending 2022 and 2023 with the Steelers.
The No. 2 overall pick of the 2017 draft, Trubisky has appeared in 82 career games with 57 starts for the Bears, Bills, and Steelers. In 2025, Trubisky completed 25-of-35 passes for 313 yards with four touchdowns and no picks.
Trubisky last started a game in 2023 with Pittsburgh.
With Trubisky set to be Ward’s backup, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports notes Will Levis — who missed the 2025 season with a shoulder injury — could be traded.
The Bills were planning to release cornerback Taron Johnson. The Raiders decided to intervene before he could become a free agent.
Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Raiders have struck a deal for a trade that will send Johnson to Las Vegas. The Bills are getting a sixth-round draft pick and giving up a seventh-round selection.
The 29-year-old Johnson, a fourth-round pick of the Bills in 2018, had spent his entire career in Buffalo. He has 113 regular-season appearances, with 87 regular-season starts. He was a second-team All-Pro in 2023.
Johnson is signed through 2027, with a 2026 base salary of $8.1 million. He has a $150,000 workout bonus and a total of $510,000 in per-game roster bonuses.
All trades will become official, once fully executed, on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. ET, when the new league year opens.
Connor McGovern will be running it back with the Bills.
He didn’t expect it. Earlier this week, McGovern expressed skepticism about sticking around.
“They haven’t contacted me once,” McGovern told Tim Graham of The Athletic. “In my gut, that says it’s over and done.”
Instead, the deal is done. Per multiple reports, the Bills and McGovern (No. 30 on the PFT list of top 100 free agents) have agreed on a new agreement. Via Adam Schefter of ESPN, it’s a four-year, $52 million contract with $32 million guaranteed. The $13 million annual average puts him at fourth among all centers. The top of the market is $18 million annually, set by Chiefs center Creed Humphrey.
The decision to stay put surely comes with full knowledge as to what else would have been available. Even though the negotiating window doesn’t open until Monday at noon ET, there’s been more than enough tampering for players to know their market. And the Bills had a reason to get something done before trying to get another starting center under contract once free agency opens.
A third-round pick of the Cowboys in 2019, McGovern signed with the Bills in 2023. He moved to center in 2024, after Mitch Morse was released.
The Bills confirmed the release of a pair of veterans on Friday afternoon and they also announced a pair of other cuts.
Safety Taylor Rapp and cornerback Dane Jackson joined cornerback Taron Johnson and wide receiver Curtis Samuel among the discards. The four moves cleared around $12 million in salary cap space heading into next week.
Rapp started the first six games of the 2025 season before going on injured reserve with a knee injury. He had 158 tackles, three interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 36 games over three seasons in Buffalo.
Jackson played three games in his return to the Bills. Jackson played his first four seasons for the team and returned for his sixth after being released by the Panthers following his only season in Carolina.
The Buffalo Bills will pay for their stadium with, among other things, Personal Seat Licenses. It’s a fancy term for paying for the right to pay for season tickets.
And Bills fans are paying big money for that privilege.
Via Michael Petro of the Buffalo News, the Bills have raised nearly $260 million in PSLs by selling more than 53,300 licenses. The total amount surpassed the stated goal of $225 million by 15 percent.
More than 1,300 PSLs remain available.
Obviously, $260 million is just a slice of the total price tag of $2.1 billion. But it’s better for those who will be using the facility to bear the cost of it than local taxpayers who’ll never attend a game there or watch one on TV.
The best outcome would be for the teams to pay for their own stadiums. As long, however, as someone else is willing to pay the bill, why not let them?
