mjt328

My guess is that Daryl Williams is pricing himself out of the market for us. Ju'Wuan James was considered by most to be the #2 Right Tackle available (with Williams #1). He signed for $13 million per year, which is Top 10 Left Tackle money. Williams is going to want at least the same amount, if not more. Beane is playing the free agent game right. He's being aggressive and active, but not drastically overpaying. He's improving the roster, creating competition and opening up his options in the draft - but not overburdening the cap for future years. At the end of the day, I think this makes us more balanced across the board, with much better depth in case of injury.

The plan last year was to let LeSean McCoy carry the offense, then spell him with Chris Ivory in short-yardage situations. But after having a terrible season, the Bills are no longer certain McCoy can be a top runner. They also realized that Ivory is not a 3-down back, who can take his place if McCoy doesn't rebound this season. Something obviously needed to be done at the position. But it's never a good idea to spend big money on a free agent/veteran running back (like Le'Veon Bell), and with lots of holes on the roster, we will probably be using our early draft picks in other areas. To me, this signing tells me the front office is punting the RB decision until next season. Frank Gore is probably just a 1-year stopgap, who can split time with McCoy this year. If McCoy has truly lost a step, Gore should be able to take over the #1 role. Next year, I expect us to draft an RB within the first two rounds.

Was she never indicted because she didn't do anything wrong? Or because certain politicians are above the law? The federal government's top officials in the FBI and DOJ have been digging into Trump (and anyone loosely associated with him) for over two years, desperate to find anything that will bring him down. These are the most powerful and connected investigators in the entire world. All they have found is a half-dozen individuals who have committed tax fraud.

When it comes to building a team, free agency is something that needs to be used sparingly. The majority of work needs to be done through the draft. Sure. It's OK to hand-out a few big contracts (especially when you are in the midst of a major rebuild) to fill holes. In many cases, it's absolutely necessary. But if you aren't consistently drafting well, those moves won't equate to long-term success. There are only so many big-money players a team can afford. The Jets do have some extra space due to Sam Darnold being on a rookie contract (compared to a team paying $20-25 million for their QB). But each huge contract takes away from their ability to fill holes somewhere else, and hurts their depth across the board. Going out and signing CJ Mosley, Anthony Barr and Le'Veon Bell is great. But how long before those contracts force them to dump Trumaine Johnson (their big signing last year)? They just go from a big hole at linebacker to a big hole in the secondary. So far, I love Brandon Beane's approach to free agency. He can be aggressive in pursuit, but does have a limit on a player's value and knows when to call it quits.

Honestly, this hardcore opposition of a wall is just silly. If folks could just take away their feelings about the president, I don't understand how it's just a common sense move. 1. Lots of people are clearly coming into our country illegally. And many of them are coming through the southern border. 2. Even if you don't want to call it a "crisis" (which admittedly is overblown) - it's still obviously a problem that has a harmful impact on many U.S. citizens and the economy. 3. The first step towards keeping people out of a somewhere they shouldn't be... is erecting a wall, fence or structure to impede them. Will it 100% fix the problem? Of course not. But it certainly will help. Some people will find a way over/under the wall anyway. But the idea that every illegal is going to just scale a 20-25 foot structure with a grappling hook is ridiculous.

This is probably the worst group of free agent receivers I've ever seen. None of the guys on the market are going to make a significant impact. Yet all of them are signing absolutely insane contracts. Devin Funchess? Jamison Crowder? Adam Humphries? I realize that free agency always has guys getting vastly overpaid. But we are talking about #3 guys and slot receivers making Top 20 money. Every single GM is going to regret making these moves in about 6-7 months. Unless we go the trade route or someone gets cut (like you suggested), I'm already looking towards the draft at the WR position.

Pathetic. What a productive way for our elected officials to spend the next two years in office. Using our tax dollars to investigate everything and everyone every associated with the president, desperately hoping they can find some misdemeanor in his finances so they can impeach him.

Very similar to the Kevin Johnson signing. He's a young guy who has shown flashes, but has been derailed by injuries. I like these moves as value signings. But $6 million+ per year seems a little high.

I want to sign a few big free agents too. But every smart GM has a max. We are literally in the first 3-4 hours of the negotiation period. Hopefully Beane is making strong offers for the guys we really want. But there are lots of really good options still sitting out there. The Jets, Raiders, etc. can't bid on everyone, and that may leave us with some bargains with the second-tier guys.

Was this a guy anyone was targeting?

Getting either Matt Paradis or Mitch Morse are my #1 goals in Free Agency. They are the only two centers that would be considered upgrades. If we don't get either, center becomes a HUGE need in the draft. We don't want to go into the draft with more huge needs. I already think the wide receivers available in free agency are crap. So that makes WR a HUGE need in the draft.

When a premium WR is the only thing standing between you and being a legitimate Super Bowl contender. We currently need a WR, TE, OT, OG and C. We could also use a DT to replace Kyle Williams, and possibly some help with the pass rush. By next year, we will probably be needing a new RB and SLB. There is no way we can trade 2 first rounders (this was the trade presented by the OP) and nearly $20 million per year in cap space... and still have the ability to fill all these holes in the roster. I just don't see it. It's not just the money alone. It's the cap space AND the draft picks. Smart teams build through the draft. This move would drastically hinder our ability to do that. Julio Jones is a great player. But he doesn't turn this team into a Super Bowl contender by himself. Making a move for him would hurt us in other places. If not the O-Line, then with our pass rush, or with the ability to acquire other weapons. To build this team for long-term/sustained success, we need to keep drafting well. Each and every year. This helps limit the holes in your starting lineup. This helps build depth in case of injuries. This protects us when Free Agents eventually leave. Blowing multiple key picks on ONE GUY (unless we are talking QB) is just not smart. Unless you are one player away, and only care about short-term success.

This is my perspective. As a GM, you only have so many resources each year to upgrade your team. Barring a trade, you only have three premium draft picks (Rounds 1-3). After that, pretty much everyone you pick is a long-shot for success. You only have so much cap space, and most good starters are going to run at least $8-10 million. After that, you are hoping to get production out of someone else's castoffs. Julio Jones would likely cost two premium draft picks and would then need a contract of roughly $18-20 million per season. In terms of resources - that's the equivalent of roughly four good starters. There is a time and place where this kind of move makes sense. The Bills are not there yet. The Bills are in Year 2-3 of their rebuild project, depending on whether you count the hiring of McDermott or the hiring of Beane as the starting point. They go into this offseason with anywhere from 5 to 8 significant holes on the roster. If we play our cards right, I think we can address most if not all of these holes in the next two months. But NOT if we are giving away all of our resources for one guy. Making a move for Jones now, would give us a premium WR on the outside. But it would hinder us from upgrading the O-Line. Which means Josh Allen is still running around with no time, our running game is still getting 1 yard on first down, and we are still struggling to move the ball.

Things can change quickly. And I think last year marked the start of some big changes in the NFL power structure. I'm optimistic that some of the teams who have been awful for several years (particularly the Browns, Jets and Bills) finally were able to get their franchise QBs. If I'm right, don't be surprised if all three of these places are prime targets for free agents by next year. The teams who have been dominating during that same time (particularly the Patriots and Steelers) are inching closer towards their Hall-of-Fame leaders finally retiring. And as we already know, finding a new franchise QB is much easier said that done.

Let's see who gets the last laugh here. I would love to see Brown go to a team like the Broncos or Dolphins, who have a much better "reputation" around the league. But then Josh Allen blows up next year, and we are suddenly 10x better than those franchises.

I'm pretty thick skinned. And it usually doesn't bother me when people knock Buffalo as a destination. But Rotoworld's comments were extremely unprofessional and insulting. A "significant downgrade" in fantasy numbers and stats? Sure. Makes sense. A "significant downgrade" in contending for playoffs? Debatable, but OK fine. A "significant downgrade" in LIFE? That's just garbage. Who the #$%* is writing this trash?

Nobody knows for sure. But we do know that Buffalo was willing to offer more than anyone else.

Like I said earlier. I'm happy Beane did his due-diligence and explored what it would take to add Brown. I'm not happy that Beane was willing to offer more than 30 other GMs.

Please. You don't know that NONE of the top players want to play here. I've been watching this team for 30 years and we've rarely had trouble convincing Free Agents to come here, when we were willing to shell out the money they were looking for. There have been several times we managed to grab players who were Top 5-10 targets around the league (Mario Williams, Bryce Paup, Chris Spielman, Ted Washington, Sam Adams, Takeo Spikes). I agree that SOME of the top players don't want to play here. And a big-headed, egotistical idiot like Antonio Brown who believes the entire world revolves around him, is part of that group. Oh well. My thing is, anyone with that kind of attitude is probably not a good thing for a young and growing team. Everybody is different. If I was an NFL player, I would do everything in my power to avoid ending up in certain cities. I would hate living in New York City or anywhere in California. Those places are not my style. I'm also not sure I could convince myself to play for a coach like Bill Belichick.

That's what I said. (As long as the QB is already in place) you just need guys that can get open and catch the ball. That's it. You don't need a Pro-Bowl superstar who needs to be the center of attention.

I wouldn't be willing to trade for Odell Beckham either. WRs in general are very overrated. You don't need a superstar receiver to have a great passing game. You just need a great Quarterback and people who are good at getting open. These guys who cause distractions in the locker room, start public arguments with their QB, act like egotistical clowns and complain about how often the ball is thrown to them - I honestly don't want those guys on my team.

I'm happy that he made the call and had discussions with Pittsburgh. I'm NOT happy that we were apparently willing to offer MORE than 30 other teams for this clown.

Brown may be the best WR in the NFL. Yet the Steelers are desperately trying to get rid of him, despite the fact: - The only have a short remaining Super Bowl window before Ben Roethlisberger retires - They will still be on the hook for $21 million in dead cap this year and $14 million next year - They probably weren't going to get even close to his value in draft pick compensation

Just woke up. I'm happy the trade didn't go through. There have been nothing but warning signs with Antonio Brown for the last few months, which is not something we need on a young/growing team. Screw his talent. I don't want his ridiculous ego and "me-first" attitude. And if the reports are true that he refused to come here (after whining about Pittsburgh trading him), that just reinforces why we don't want him either.

This is a puzzling move for Washington. This year, Alex Smith will count over $20 million against the cap, even if he doesn't play (which he probably won't). Case Keenum is set to count $21 million against the cap in 2019. And where they are in the draft, it could be very difficult to land a top QB prospect without a significant trade-up. Unless Keenum restructures his contract (which is possible, but why would he?), the Redskins could have over $40 million of their salary cap tied up in QBs. And they would still be at the bottom of the league in passing, without a young passer waiting in the wings.