HappyDays

Fake account, he does not work for ESPN.

He is being "represented" by Saint Omni, the guy that the NFL sent out a warning on to teams because he was working with Lamar Jackson despite not being a certified NFLPA agent. He also helped Laremy Tunsil and Roquan Smith get their deals. Somehow this guy has built a following among superstar NFL players and is basically working for them off the record.

It's because he can't do it. His skill set doesn't lend itself well to routes that require short area quickness. He releases well and can run vertical. That's a great skill set for a #3 outside WR. For a #2 it limits what the offense can do. Do you really think two OCs in a row now haven't had Davis run those shorter routes for no reason?

You don't think it's a problem that our supposedly #2 WR can only run long developing routes?

I know Arizona gave Hopkins permission to negotiate with other teams when they were actively trying to trade him. So I would assume we and other teams at least have a framework in place for what he's looking for.

I wonder if teams have been able to actively negotiate with him since Friday, or do they have to wait until he's officially released?

I can't believe some fans are already trying to rationalize Hopkins possibly going to KC over us. It's an unmitigated disaster if that happens, period. The next time Davis drops a pass that costs us the #1 seed I'll look at our salary cap table and feel better I guess.

My level head tells me that if we have to contend against Kelce/Hopkins and Chase/Higgins for the next two years, we become dark horse Super Bowl candidates. Who knows what happens after that but I'm not comfortable waiting to find out.

Honestly man I don't want to hear the excuses. There are things Beane can do to make Hopkins affordable. The nuclear option would be trading Ed Oliver. Anything is better than letting another AFC team, especially the Chiefs, acquire him.

Nothing new, if I hear anything I will post it.

If Beane lets this happen, especially considering the Chiefs are in even worse cap shape than we are, he will be gone within 3 years. Book it.

For me adding Hopkins isn't about adding production. It's about adding someone that can make critical plays in critical moments. Allen and Diggs were the only two that consistently did that last year. A championship offense needs more than just two guys with that ability. Every Bills loss last year you could point to at least one drop that arguably lost us the game: Dolphins loss: -Davis drop in the endzone, taking 4 points off the board in a game we lost by 2 Jets loss: -Davis drop on 3rd down, forcing us to punt -Davis drop on 4th and forever in the final seconds, ending the game Vikings loss: -Diggs drop on 3rd down, forcing a punt on a critical drive -Knox drop in the endzone in OT right before Allen's game-ending interception (I'll also throw in as an honorable mention that Davis 100% dropped the ball on 3rd down on our game-tying drive at the end of regulation, the officials just missed it) Bengals loss: -Davis drop on a vertical route on 3rd down which effectively ended the game There were of course other plays and other failures that led to each of these losses, but we now have the ability to fix this one glaring issue just by adding Hopkins (and for that matter Kincaid) to the picture. According to ESPN, Hopkins has just three drops on 315 targets over the past three seasons - this 1% drop rate is the best in the NFL over that time span. Nobody will care about the additional 15 yards per game or so that Hopkins may add to the offense, but we will care about that one extra critical catch in a critical game that ultimately leads to us getting the #1 seed. Like you point out we already have the production. We're missing the moments.

So there you go, it is definitely feasible for us to sign him. It's just a matter of Beame deciding to do it.

James Cook had the 2nd highest YPC in the league out of all RBs last year.

We were 3rd in rush YPC last year. That is not the missing ingredient. What the Bills need more than anything is another playmaker. When it's 4th and forever and the QB has a torn elbow and still manages to drop a 70 yard bomb into a bucket, we need a player on the other end that comes down with the ball and somehow turns a hopeless loss into a probable win. That's what championship teams are made of. You're crazy if you try to downplay how impactful the additions of AJ Brown and OBJ were to their respective teams. Even Toney, the reason I brought him up is that his punt return may have won the Chiefs a Super Bowl. It's not just about production, it's about the ability to create moments of magic. Hopkins has the production and the playmaking, as Bills fans know very well.

The Saints did it every year until Drew Brees retired and then they took their medicine. It was never a problem for them in their elite QB window. Beane himself did it when he took over the Bills, spent 1-2 seasons tearing the roster down and getting the cap into good shape. This is a billion dollar operation with a cash-rich owner... they will figure it out. You're correct that some day we will need to account for previous spending but that day is much further into the future than you make it out to be. The reality is that most teams only have about 5 players that really belong in the "core" of the team. The rest are guys that spend no more than 2-3 years on the team or guys on rookie deals. So spending future cap space on Hopkins is not going to drastically change the fundamental structure of the team. At worst it will merely push out some of those 2nd and 3rd tier guys that aren't in the long-term plans anyways. The core will remain. For example by adding Hopkins I think it becomes almost impossible to extend Ed Oliver or Gabe Davis next year no matter how well they play. But neither of these players appear to be in our long-term plans regardless. They are caught in the same position that Edmunds was in last year. When you're paying a QB you can't pay above market value for average or lower production which is exactly what guys like Edmunds and Davis and Oliver end up securing in free agency. A player like Hopkins on the contrary is not easily replaceable and has legitimate season-changing production. Pushing out some of our roster's middle class in exchange for an upper class player is a net positive. That's the "poison pill" you're worried about.

The Rams added OBJ. The Eagles added AJ Brown. The Chiefs added Kadarius Toney. Every one of these additions ultimately changed the fortune of their team. IMO you're living in the past if you don't think adding a top tier WR can push a team over the hump. The Bills did it just 3 years ago and it revolutionized our offense.

Per my usual source, word for word from them - "The Bills are HEAVILY interested in DHop. It's already beyond a call being made. Work is being done." Teams became aware that Hopkins would be released several days ago. Around that same time the Bills conducted an imaging review of Tre White's knee to make sure they would be comfortable tying themselves to his future in the event of a necessary restructure. White has performed very well at OTAs and the team is more confident than ever about his future. That's all I have.

Are you Leonardo Di Caprio?

He got extra attention because he was the 2nd option in our offense... and he simply didn't meet the moment.

I'm begging you Brandon. Please get this done.

Davis would become what the Bills call WR4. Right now that is supposed to be Harty's role but Davis has been more consistent than Harty. WR4 in the Bills offense is the primary backup/rotational outside WR who also plays some in the slot. Davis was excellent in that role in 2020 and 2021. He is at his best when defenses aren't paying close attention to him because they have too many other weapons to worry about. He had a number of deep catches on blown coverages in 2020 and it's easier to make some of the contested catches he made that year when he's matched up against the 3rd CB on the opponent's depth chart.