BarleyNY

It looks like the estimates I see are for an 8% increase. That would be in line with the historical average so it certainly could be higher with the extra revenue you mention.

Yeah. Everyone is guesstimating the cap increase so numbers will be off.

OTC has a number very close to Spotrac’s. They don’t account for rollover and when you factor that in, the numbers are nearly identical.

Thar can’t be it. Spotrac has an increase from $224.8M to $242.5M for the cap in their calculations.

That is correct.

I agree, but I’d alter one thing slightly - it’s huge to have an elite QB or a good QB who can play at an elite level in the playoffs. Eli Manning was not a great QB. Nor was Joe Flacco. But Eli balled out in the playoffs twice and Flacco once (so far). That can get you there too. I’m sure that there are other examples. Some players just have ann innate ability to let loose and go on a run when pressure is greatest.

I agree that the Jags are a soft team. I think that may change under Pederson - and, quite frankly, I’m more than a little surprised that it hasn’t already - but they are still soft.

IF Flacco pulled that off, then he’d be a near lock for the HOF. Big if obviously, but how could you keep him out if it were to happen?

Except the Bills do not have 44 players under contract next season. They have 39. Spotrac shows 44, but that number includes 5 players with cap hits in 2024 due to void years. Those players are Floyd, Hyde, Jones, Settle and Matacevich. Spotrac link

The Phins are 7-1 at home and 4-4 on the road. Their offense is much better at home because of better presnap communication. Huge difference versus playoff crowd noise away. If they win then they’ll be set up for two home playoff games. I’m sure they will play to win this one. I certainly would.

The Browns winning at Baltimore and Buffalo while the Lions win at Dallas and San Francisco would be incredible.

Diggs, Shakir, Harty and Shorter are currently under contract for next season. That’s definitely not great. It’ll be Diggs’ age 31 season so it may be his last as a Bill. Shakir is a useful WR, but I don’t think he’s a starter, at least not yet. Harty should be cut and Shorter will be batting for a roster spot. That leaves a lot of work to be done. Free agency and/or trades have to yield something of value this off-season. I’d have no issue with finding and paying their next WR1 this way as the year 1 (and 2) cap hit(s) can be kept low. The biggest issue is actually finding such a player available. But we did it with Diggs and other teams have done it so it is possible. At minimum a serviceable vet who can start at WR2 while rookies are developed needs to be acquired. Yes, the Bills will need to draft a couple WRs and I have no issue with ant least one early depending on how the corps looks at that point. But it’s not Madden. Rookies rarely make a big impact in year 1. Some take a couple seasons and some never pan out. Drafting one in round 1 certainly improves the odds, but every team in the league knows what we need so we will have to move up for one.

I just checked the Vegas odds and Lamar is a huge favorite at -10000. Dak is second at +1800, Purdy is third at +2500 and Lawrence and Allen are tied for fourth at +3000. https://www.foxsports.com/articles/nfl/2023-24-nfl-mvp-odds-and-favorites Stats definitely play a part, but it usually goes to the combination of the best QB on the best team. So it isn’t surprising that the QBs of the two #1 seeded teams are first and (almost) second.

I think that Allen’s chances improve dramatically if the Bills get the number two seed. Still, I think it’ll be Lamar and Purdy for first and second All-Pro. Their teams having the number one seeds being the easy tiebreaker.

Saying Purdy isn’t too 2 would be reasonable, but calling him average is ridiculous. He’s first or near the top of every meaningful statistical category. Sure, Shanahan is an offensive genius, but no other QB has done this in his system. I’m not sure how much more you could ask of your QB.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39216134/nfl-all-pro-team-2023-barnwell-50-best-players-every-position Here is a link. I can quibble about whether some players should be first vs. second team, but the selections are very difficult to argue with overall. Certainly a case can be made for Allen over Purdy, but Purdy is a defensible selection as #2. But that's it. We have some very good players who have done well this season, but not top 4. Oliver has been very good, but he was not a top 4 DT in the league. Ditto Douglas at CB and Cook at RB.

Yup. He may never be a #1 or #2 WR, but he can contribute to the success of this team and he has a place on our roster.

It’s difficult for me to believe that more eyes aren’t on a 2 minute discussion about the game - complete with advertiser logos on screen - versus a set of breakaway commercials.

While I think that you’re correct in general, it’s not an either-or situation. Yes, it’s a business and cashing in is almost always priority #1. The main exception is when we see players at the end of their careers who want a ring. While they all want paid the vast majority also want to achieve at the highest level in their careers. That means winning a championship (as well as individual awards). There also are teams that bond well and those players want to help their teammates and team achieve. Look no further than the current Browns team to see an extreme example of that. From most reports the Bills have that too. I see it as two separate mentalities and seasons. The regular season and the associated contracts are about getting paid well. The postseason is about winning a championship because those paychecks are not close to what players make for the regular season (unless they are making league minimum).

Agree on 1-4 and that #5 is the tough one. I’d throw a defensive player in there, but it’d be difficult to pick from Garrett, Watt, Parsons, Crosby, etc. I think I’d go with Lamb.

My initial thought was 4/$52M with $26M guaranteed, but with the rising cap - and Bosa re-setting the top of the market - I certainly can see him getting your estimate of 4/60/30 on the open market.

A long time ago I was a design engineer at a truss plant. Somehow, someway, I’d get selected for a “random” drug test twice a year during the busy season when they were running extra shifts. Oddly it never happened during the slow times of year when they had one skeleton shift and the odds of an office person being selected were much great. Only during the time of year they couldn’t afford to lose anyone in the shop. Hmmm.

I remember this. I was almost 12 years old. My reaction at the time was that it was better than with the broadcasters. Also I remember laughing at the announcers who all thought it was so terrible. Even at that age I thought that was hilarious. Like they were going to say it was great and they should all be fired. One of my favorite things about NFL+ is watching the condensed games. The garbage announcer filler is dramatically reduced and I can watch a game in about 40 minutes.

Let’s keep it civil.

My daughter waited on Isaiah McKenzie at a Williamsville restaurant many Bills players frequent. She raved about how nice he was to her. I was there that night and saw some of it myself.