BarleyNY

And that's the crux of the matter. It's why he needs to go. Except that's not true. He has continued to attempt to influence things on the football side and has succeeded to some degree until very recently. Only with the sacking of Whaley did he lose his last avenue to exert his influence. There's no way that's acceptable to me - and his current impotence in influencing football operations is not a defense. There are a lot of people that can do his job and stay out of things they shouldn't be involved in. Hire one of them.

Or only twice the QB Fitzpatrick is.

Have to agree on Labatt Blue. It does suck. I like what McD has done here. He's a first time HC at any level so I know there'll be some missteps, but I haven't seen much to complain about. I'd have probably picked up Sammy's option, but I get why he didn't - and it was probably the right decision. My only negative(ish) thought is that this is only the beginning and getting the Bills to a point where they are competing for a championship is a ways off. It'll take time. And a QB.

No, it doesn't work that way. You are thinking of restricted free agent tenders. Watkins will be an unrestricted free agent after this season unless the Bills sign him to an extension or tag him with the franchise or transition tag. Now that the Bills decision to decline his option has had some time to sink in I hope people understand that this isn't some motivating tactic, it's the first step in parting ways after the season. It's a shame, but it is what it is.

Yeah. How different would the Raiders playoff run have finished if they could've gotten Romo in there after Carr got injured?

Watson' floor could be much lower than Tyrod's - and I'm not a big Taylor fan. He's a serviceable bridge QB. We don't know what Watson is yet, but I don't like his weak arm or lack of accuracy. The OP's guidelines were not to consider draft capital spent or cap consequences in the comparison, but if you do - and you did - then no way do I take Watson. I wouldn't have touched him anywhere close to 10. Sure, his contract would be lower, but it'll also be guaranteed for 4 seasons and we wouldn't have two first round and one third round pick to spend on other players. NFW do I take Watson in the realistic scenario.

I'm not a Watson fan and I don't think he will succeed in the NFL, but I certainly admit that he's got a chance to be a franchise QB. Tyrod doesn't. He is what he is - a serviceable QB that will never be special. I'll take the lottery ticket. If your question was which I'd bet on to get me more wins this season, then I'd take Tyrod.

Agreed. No salary cap on coaches and GMs. Pegs can go crazy paying off the crappy coaches and GMs he hired.

Looking at about $8M in space by Rule of 51 after draft picks are signed. Will need a few million for in season use and less than one million for PS players. So we still have a little money to play with without making any moves.

Well said.

He still might. Definitely a chance he doesn't get the kind of deal he wants and hangs them up. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part.

The Bills can trade Sammy for two 1st round picks in the same way that The Angry Birds Movie can win the Best Picture Oscar.

Pump the brakes. He's the only QB on our roster who has started an NFL game. Let's revisit this discussion in the next offseason though.

Yes. I might be a little high on the $17M too. $16M-$17M range.

Those are 2017 numbers. Option numbers are calculated as transition tag numbers for the previous season. So the Bills declined the 2018 option for Watkins at $13.3M. The WR franchise tag number will probably be about $17M next season.

Yeah. If they aren't willing to take the chance on his option year, there's no way the Bills are going to take the risk of giving him a big contract with a large signing bonus - even if he has a big 2017 season.

Sammy will give his best this season, but it'll be his last in Buffalo.

Fantastic

BURN THE WITCH!

The route to a huge salary for Sammy in Buffalo was for them to pick up the option. This is a clear signal that the two will part ways after this upcoming season. I don't see a path to him remaining a Bill except for the franchise tag. If he has a poor season, then he will hit FA and take a short, prove it deal somewhere with a proven QB and an offense that can get him paid. Results from a mediocre or good season season will get him the same except with a better deal. A great, injury-free season could definitely get him tagged by Buffalo, but that would likely just keep him here one more season. I can't see both sides agreeing on a contract though. This FO isn't going to give him a huge deal because of his injury problems. If they were willing to gamble on those, then they'd have picked up his option.

No. He doesn't have much of a choice as it is a team option. He agreed to it when he signed his rookie deal. There's literally nothing new for him to sign. He could hold out, but wouldn't have any leverage and could lose a lot of money.

No salary cap on coaches, GMs and other FO people. I'd pick up the option on Sammy, but I don't know what his foot really looks like from a medical standpoint. Maybe that's the issue. Edited to add: The option immediately guarantees for injury and fully guarantees in March.

A FQB certainly might've saved him and Rex sure didn't help, but he didn't help himself in a lot of ways either. Had he been running a tighter ship and made some better decisions he might still be here. He had a lot of missteps beyond what was forced on him.

I've disagreed with you a lot on this board, Kirby. But not on this. You're spot on. I'll celebrate Whaley's departure a bit. He's getting paid large for subpar performance. Wish he'd have been worth his contract. But I take no joy in what's happening with the rank and file scouts. Had Whaley done a better job, then maybe this wouldn't be happening to them.

When you answer this, say "Hello, McDermott residence. Whom should I say is calling?"