AP

Seven years ago, Bill Parcells negotiated with former Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga a contract that allowed the incoming V.P. of football operations to walk away with full remaining pay if Huizenga sold the team. Two years ago, Doug Marrone obtained a similar term from the Bills, allowing him to leave with $4 million in pay if the team is sold.

So how did Marrone, who had never coached an NFL team, finagle a Parcells-style term?

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Bills believed that the term was critical to persuading Marrone to choose the Bills over the Browns, who offered the former Syracuse coach a higher salary than Buffalo did. Ultimately, CEO Russ Brandon and CFO Jeff Littmann approved the term in order to get the deal done.

According to ESPN, Marrone used the three-day window to attempt to negotiate an extension to his contract, which had two years remaining. Uncertainty over potential organizational changes also influenced his decision, per ESPN.

It’s believed that Bill Polian will returning to Buffalo in some capacity; the report that Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich has become the “top target” for the job suggests that Polian already is involved.

Polian currently works for ESPN; the not-so-small army of insiders and reporters who work there have said not one thing about Polian and the Bills, one way or the other. Which perhaps says everything you need to know about whether there’s fire residing at the bottom of the smoke.