BarleyNY

This topic has been beaten to death prior to this thread, but I'll recap my position: - EJ is a dead man walking in B-lo. There's really no plausible scenario where he's here next season. The sooner both parties move on, the better for both. - CBs like Gilmore are necessary to run Rex's defense, which puts a lot of pressure on the position. I see a deal getting done prior to the season. - Taylor hasn't yet earned the deal he would accept and the Bills aren't in a position where they are forced to make a move with him. His contract (and where he plays in 2017) will be determined by his play this season. Taylor really has no choice but to bet on himself. He can't hold out because so much is riding on his play and he needs all of the preparation possible. The Bills are wary of giving Taylor a big deal now as the risks far outweigh the rewards. The franchise tag is available next offseason if needed.

I read your post as stating Hughes had an $8M-$10M per year contract, not that there was that much left over. I was just working through the numbers for clarity.

Certain transgressions - bouncing checks, drug or gambling habits, etc. - are risk indicators for fraudulent behaviors too. Anyone with the ability to steal directly or indirectly from a company or who opens him/herself up to blackmail with their actions has to be let go in many circumstances. It's not always fair, but there can be a lot of exposure for a company. As for NFL players, certain behaviors are locker room poison. There's an excellent LT playing in Canada right now. He is plenty good enough to be a top NFL LT, but he'll never play in it because no team will have him. His transgression? A consensual sexual relationship with his sister when he was younger. I won't give his name, but you can google it. I'm curious to see how the Browns players respond to Crowell after his resent tweet. My guess is that he will have a lot of repair work to do before training camp or he is in deep trouble. He's started that with an apology and statement that he's donating his first game check to the Dallas Police Officer's Fund, but he probably still has a long way to go.

I disagree on several points. You can't compare a contract from 2 years ago with one this offseason. Hughes would have gotten a fair bit more than $9M a year if that deal was done today. It'd probably push $11M a season. It'd certainly be over $10M. They'd have another $8M-$9M left to spend, but the combined production of upgrades from that wouldn't come close to touching the impact of Von Miller had over what Hughes has had. They aren't remotely comparable in terms of impact.Nobody said Von Miller was the only reason the Broncos won the Super Bowl. But he was the single player that did the most to get the Broncos that championship. And it really wasn't even close. The article that Yolo posted explains it better than I can:

Totally agree. That's my 5 too, in pretty much the same order.

"A great game?" You must've missed the rest of his career. He is an exceptional player at a premium position who is just coming into his prime and he got rewarded with the huge deal that he earned. That's not a mistake. The mistakes Denver/Elway are making center around their QB position.

As well you should.

I'm going to quit saying nice things about players/team units. I gushed over Lawson. Torn labrum. I just said how happy I was with the RB corps. J. Williams gets a DUI and K. Williams gets a 4 game substance abuse suspension. Dammit.

Y'all are crazy. Denver doesn't win the Super Bowl without him. He's probably the only player I'd say that about on that team. Which explains why he was SB MVP. He got paid large - and he deserves it.

Ah. Thought he meant to cut Gilmore. I do not see a lot of cap relief from a new contract for Gilmore though. Your example of a potential contract illustrates that.

That would be an absolutely awful idea even if it were possible. Which it really isn't. 5th year options are fully guaranteed on the first day of the league year, which was in March. The Bills are on the hook for the full amount unless they were to trade him. But why dump Gilmore? There's no one to take his place opposite Darby and Rex's scheme needs CBs like him. Any unused cap space can be carried forward into the next season. That doesn't apply to Gilmore's 5th year option because it is fully guaranteed.

We see this over and over again. Often times - such as in this case - it's just a national media "personality" viewing the teams that are less popular nationally and in smaller markets as AAA affiliates of the more popular, larger market teams. It's not "What can Tyrod do for Buffalo?", it's "Can Denver find its QB answer in Buffalo?" At best it's pandering.

You mean that's not him?

All true. Virtually any job that requires driving usually stipulates that a DUI is grounds for termination. Many companies have various other stipulations. I can't imagine how much stuff doesn't get reported and I know crazy stuff goes on everywhere. One story I was privy to involved a high ranking financial institution executive who had been tagged as their next CEO. But some hookers he was doing blow with decided he was a good mark for some big, quick cash from some branches. That FI paid large to keep the story from going public. The exec immediately left his position to spend more time with his family, but faced no criminal charges. (Not sure what happened to the hookers.) I know crazy stuff goes on with NFL players, too. I've heard some of those stories as well. I think the real problem with players using Uber is that some don't make a decision about how to get home until they're wasted. Gotta make that decision ahead of time and prearrange a sober friend or service to drive you - both ways. Or maybe just don't get hammered.

I think I covered this pretty well already, but here goes. SJ is on a 3 year, $10.5M deal. RW is on his 4 year rookie deal at $4.9M. As I said, RW has potential for upside and is cheaper than SJ, but SJ isn't expensive for a WR. There is room and definite need for both on the roster. It is not an either/or situation. I just thought it odd to see people saying that one of those guys sucks and the other is going to be a stud as the #2 this season. One last thing. RW is going into the final season of his rookie deal. This is where he has to earn his next contract.

And why shouldn't it be? It's the livelihood of the players, coaches and front office people.

It's almost as if money is a motivating factor for him or something.

Sorry, man. I didn't mean to bust your balls here. I do appreciate you passing along what you've heard. I'm just so tired of so many posters talking about every rookie like they're going to be an All Pro. Sorry to take that out on you. My bad.

That's a bad idea. Carryover rules mean there is no advantage to doing that. It's much better to maintain some cap flexibility.

Have you ever been involved in any way with any financial negotiation of any type?

I do like the RB roster but I guess you have a much higher opinion of the WR and TE roster, top to bottom, than I do. The right side of the OL and the help a TE will likely have to give the RT is a concern to me as well.

It is the time of unicorns and rainbows. Silly Season has given way to Focused Exuberance as fans fall out of love with their beloved draft prospects that have gone on to live their lives elsewhere and learned to love those to whom they've been wed in an arranged fashion. Good qualities are brought to the forefront while unseemly flaws are overlooked for the moment. Perhaps we can wait until players put on NFL pads before making judgements of their ability or reading too much into what coaches are saying?

Thanks. I don't see him walking either, I was just alluding to the "Bus Factor". I was pointing out that if something freakish were to happen with/to Gilmore (remote possibility that that is), then the team would need a near quality replacement to run Rex's scheme. So why gripe about paying him? The team would just wind up paying his replacement a huge contract instead - if they could even find one. Or they'd have to hope to hit on a high draft pick next year, which is not nearly as sure a bet. That's what top CBs cost in terms of contracts and/or draft picks and if your scheme requires them (and all do to some degree), then you've got to invest there.

I agree. But Taylor has to do his part to make that happen. He has to prove he can shoulder the load as well as protect himself. I can't fault Roman for keeping the reins tight last season. Here's hoping he progresses. But it's also why I've been harping on getting help at WR and TE. This receiving corps isn't good enough to really help TT succeed as a passer.

No worries. I've usually done worse sooner in the day.