2003Contenders

He's always been like that, which is why he tends to wear out his welcome wherever he goes, despite the fact that he has done a great job at each landing spot. We all know the real reason he was forced out of Buffalo...

That "contemporary for a rival team" gave up an arm and a leg to move up 3 spots. It is quite possible that the Colts were not willing to trade back as far as 12, no matter what the Bills offered. BTW, the Jets were always in a position to pick ahead of the Bills, so at least this trade to 3 was not by another team that was not originally in the position to draft ahead of Buffalo. The scenario before today -- hoping that the desired QB gets past the Jets -- remains. It just now means that the Bills have a more narrow path to get that done. And if picks 1 and 2 are not up for sale at any price, it is hard to criticize the Bills for not making a move to get ahead of them. For all we know the Jets and Bills may have entirely difference QBs in their sites.

I think also that Denver is in must-win-now mode, which likely means that they will be taking a guy they believe is ready to start right away. That is probably not a QB.

I believe without a doubt that the Bills already have their QB list ready to go. However, I believe that Beane is being 100% honest when he says that he still does not know what the team will do. Let's take this hypothetical... For the sake of argument let's say that the Bills have Darold and Rosen ranked 1 and 2, then a bit of a gap between QBs 3 and 4 (say, Mayfield and Allen). Let's also say that they have a mid-first round grade on Jackson and a borderline first/second round grade on Rudolph. 1. Option one: Prior to the draft... Trade whatever is necessary to move into the top 3 to draft one of those top 2 ranked QBs in this draft class. This will take both first round picks PLUS one or more additional high picks this year and/or 2019. 2. Option two: On draft day... Be patient and see what happens with the first few picks. If the top 2 QBs are gone by pick 3, then make a trade (which probably involves both first round picks) to move up to get the 3rd or 4th QB. 3. Option three:On draft day... Be patient and let the draft come to you. If the 3rd or 4th QB is still on the board after the Jets pick, then to be sure that no other team swipes them before 12, trade up slightly with, say, Tampa Bay or San Francisco. This likely will not cost more than a 2nd round or possibly just the #65 pick acquired for Tyrod. 4. Option four: Stay put at 12 and draft the top-rated QB on the board, whether one of the top 4 QBs slips or the 5th rated QB (in our hypothetical, Jackson) 5. Option five: Stay put at 12 and draft the BPA -- even if it is not a QB. After all, the team has other needs to address -- and if the top 4 QBs are gone by 11, that means a chance to get a top 8 non-QB player. If they do not take a QB, reevaluate at 21 to see what QB options there are. SO plenty of scenarios to consider -- and trading as we know is dependent upon finding a willing partner. The way Beane wheels and deals I would not rule out him taking BPA (non-QB) at 12 -- and then maybe trading up (or down) at 21 to acquire a QB. If we take him at his word, the Bills will NOT be reaching for a QB. I can't wait to see what happens!

While many teams will rightfully worry about his less-than-desirable completion percentage (among other things) and will downgrade him a not even being first-round worthy at all, there will be other teams that gush over his physical traits who believe that they have the coaching staff in place to mold and groom him into being an elite QB. It just takes one team in this latter camp to potentially over-draft Allen. That is why he will be a top 10 -- and probably a top 5 -- pick.

If that really is the plan -- to trade up for a rookie and go into the season with just the rookie and Peterman at QB... Well, the 2019 first round draft pick had better NOT be part of the capital used to move up in the trade. That could wind up being a top 5 pick next year.

Frank Reich to Kerry Collins. V. Testeverde to Chad Pennington

Interesting that he does not list the Bucs as having interest in Gaines as we have all heard...

And what did the Bears do about a month after signing Glennon? They traded up to #2 to draft the guy they believed to be the top QB in the draft. If the Bills did sign McCarron or Bridgewater to such a contract, I would STILL want them to do whatever they can to draft who they believe is the best bet at QB in this draft class.

Indeed. Besides, Parcells never ate his own dog food. The highest profile QB he ever drafted as a coach or GM was Bledsoe, who did NOT meet the criteria. Nor did Jeff Hostetler, whom the Giants drafted in 1984 when Parcells was head coach (Phil Simms was already on the Giants' roster when Parcells took over as head coach). The Jets never drafted a QB of note during Parcells' time there, and Chad Pennington was drafted the year AFTER Parcells left. In Dallas, Romo was an after-thought who was not even drafted in 2003, signing with the Cowboys as a rookie UDFA. IIRC, Chad Henne was the last QB that Parcells played a role in drafting. He too failed to fulfill the criteria.

Jackson appears to be one of the most polarizing players in this draft class. I truly believe that there are some teams that do not even see him as a QB and are serious about exploring a projection to WR. Those teams likely would not draft him on day one and probably not day 2. Meanwhile, other teams really do believe that he is one of the top QBs in this draft. As we know, it only takes one team to fall in love with a player -- which is why I think he goes in the first round, possibly before the Bills select at #21. I expect that Petrino will be fielding plenty of questions from NFL scouts/GMs/coaches about whether or not Jackson has the goods to be an NFL QB.

Bingo! Either he is healthy -- which means that it would be foolish to trade him, especially now that his stock is low. Or, he is NOT healthy, in which case it would be very difficult to trade him at all, given his large contract.

If the QBs fall as he has them, it won't even take both first round picks to move up for Rosen. A 1st and a 2nd should get it done.

Word at the time was that if the Bills had not made the trade up for Sammy, they would have taken Ebron at 9. So they definitely liked him back in 2014. Of course, he has done little in the league since then -- and it was the now departed Whaley who was running the draft room for the Bills back then.

Two thoughts come to mind... I remember looking closely at the transcripts from Beane's interviews at the combine this past week. One comment he made that I found very interesting was that there were "6 -- maybe even 7" QBs that could go in the first round this year. Of course, he did not say who they were. But I wonder if the Bills have a higher grade on, say, Mike White and would be willing to take him with one of those 1st round picks. Still, I would hope that he would be available in the 2nd round. Otherwise, I have to look at it this way: if the top 20 picks really are comprised of 6 QBs, then that must mean that only 14 other players at non-QB positions were drafted. That gives the Bills the opportunity to take the 15th and 16th best non-QB prospects in the draft. It would not be the end of the world to address other needs (LB, DT, DL, WR, OL...) with those two picks.

I listened to his interview with Pat Kirwin and Jim Miller on XM this evening. Here is what I took away from it: 1. He had multiple surgeries this off-season. 2. He really liked his time in Buffalo. 3. He LOVES McD. 4. Credits the Bills' medical folks with getting him the proper diagnosis on his ankle/knee. 5. He is a newlywed, and his wife is a professional soccer player in DC. They are expecting a baby soon. 6. Realizes that he is hitting free agency at an inopportune time given the recent injuries. 7. Hopes teams will look beyond the recent injuries (also played with a bum ankle in 2016) and work him out. It sounded to me like his first choice would be to play close to DC given his wife's situation. But if he does not return to play for the Bills, it sounds more like it is the Bills who may not be interested.

Almost makes me wonder if the Pats are leaking stuff to reporters like Breer in hopes that Jackson will fall in the draft.

While trading from #1 overall down to 21 may seem like a steep drop, the Browns could easily package all the picks they have to move BACK into the top 10 without much effort. Heck, just the 2 first-round picks they would hypothetically acquire from the Bills would be enough to get them back to anywhere from 4-8 (depending upon which draft value chart you believe).

Now you are simply spreading "Fake News" to make your point. But just in case you really do not know, here is the breakdown of Tyrod's contract and the cap ramifications for this season: Base salary: $10 M Roster bonus: $6 M Signing Bonus amortization ($2.08 M) Total cap hit for 2018: $18.08 M Dead cap: $8.64 M So this $23M figure you keep spouting is a myth. If we keep him, the cap hit is $18M this year, whereas if we release/cut him it is $8.64 M. Furthermore, if he is gone that is $8.64 M PLUS whatever we would have to pay for his replacement. That means, assuming you are looking for a bridge veteran QB, finding someone willing to play for less than $10 M in 2018 whose future dead cap space in 2019 is no more than $5.6M (as Tyrod's would be). Playing devil's advocate, I would challenge anyone to name such a player. Please know that I am NOT necessarily advocating keeping him but pointing out the justification for why the Bills may ultimately do so -- and bracing the "Never Tyrod" crowd for what MAY end up happening. I agree 100% that Tyrod is not the answer at QB. I really hope that the team lands a future franchise QB in the draft, one that could potentially start from day one.

I am not sure it would cost THAT much to move up. Let's look back at a similar trade-up between Atlanta and the very same Cleveland Browns (to get Julio Jones) a few years ago (2011). In order to move up from 27 to 6, the Falcons gave up the following: #27 pick, 2nd rounder and 4th rounder in 2011, and the 1st rounder and 4th rounder in 2012. Notice that the Falcons did not have an additional 1st round pick in 2011 to work with as the Bills do. That additional 1st rounder (21/22) is worth more than the future 1st and 4th rounder combined. Hence, I would think that a trade of 21 and 22, coupled with one of the 2nd rounders this year would be enough to get into the top 5. Maybe sweeten the deal with one of the two 5th round picks. And, if Cordy Glenn truly is healthy, I would rather hold onto him.

Except for the following: 1. While Tyrod may cost $18 M, cutting him costs several million PLUS whatever his veteran replacement costs, which is likely to be well over $18 M combined. I am fine with that provided that the replacement is better than Tyrod. But who out there do we believe will be better than Tyrod and cost LESS than, say, $12-$13 M (which would still cost more against the cap than Tyrod)? 2. Tyrod's a big boy and understands that it is a business. It is pretty obvious that he was not the Bills' first choice last year either. The team forced him to re-work his contract. He could have declined and forced a parting of ways. The fact that both sides came to the resolution they did makes it pretty clear that the Bills did not see a viable and affordable replacement available, and Tyrod and his agent realized that they were not going to get a better deal from any other team. The team appears to be planning for multiple contingencies at the QB position this year, which is a great thing to do. Listening to both McD and B yesterday it is pretty clear that they do not see Tyrod as the long term answer. While pimping his positive aspects, neither was willing to endorse him. That sounds like either a sales pitch to potential trading partners or to fans like the OP should the team decide not to part ways with him. With the league so starved for QBs, I remain hopeful that there will be a trading partner out there. Who knows? If a starter for one of the other 31 teams goes down in training camp, Tyrod would suddenly become a very hot commodity (a la Sam Bradford to the Vikings a couple of years ago). Of course, for even that situation to work, the Bills themselves would have had to address the QB situation in the draft and/or free agency.

I think he is saying that the Browns would select Darnold with the #1 overall pick then have the 21 and 22 picks (acquired in a trade down with the Bills) to make giving up the #4 pick appear rather palpable.

Nothing new here. The book has been out on Tyrod for a long time. He is mobile and does a great job protecting the football. However, when he HAS to throw -- that is, the element of running the ball by him, Shady or whomever is taken out of the equation -- he simply cannot get the job done.

LOL some guy named Alan Hopkins is calling them out in the Comments section for overlooking Buffalo entirely.

Remember that in addition to paying (and in this case likely over-paying) for a veteran QB, the Bills would also be on tab for some of Tyrod's money both in terms of real $ (if we believe that they intend to pay him the $6 M bonus that is coming up) as well as cap space if he is traded/cut. That is why I think it is highly unlikely that the Bills will pay big $ for a UFA QB this year. I believe that they are planning on going all in on drafting a rookie QB this year. If they manage to get the guy they really want at the top of the draft (Rosen/Mayfiled/Darnold), then Tyrod may not even be on the roster on Opening Day. If they have to settle for a Jackson/Rudolph type, then Tyrod serves as a bridge until the new QB is ready. Given the quick hook to Peterman in the midst of last season's playoff run, that could even come early in 2018.