Rochesterfan

I will say the biggest difference I have heard was listening to Mike (the founder of SPOTRAC) on WGR and him talking about Beane. First he talked about when this contract came down - it was compared initially to Buffalo’s previously biggest contract - Dareus. He talked about what a terrible contract that was - not in the money as much as how it was written - he knew that the contract was going to cause issues. Whaley blew that extension - the money was to much, but there were no protections for the team - the agent fleeced the GM and he knew almost immediately that was going to turn out bad. Compare that to Beane - who he said has come in below on most of his signing in the last 2 years - the Tre’ White and Dawkins deals were brilliant and now the Josh deal - providing flexibility, outs for both the player and the team, just well written and beautifully thought out. They talked about the quote that Beane is running a “masterclass” in being a GM. My guess is if Whaley was GM - we are still mired in mediocrity because he never had a vision or a plan - things just seemed to happen. Beane started thinking about this process and signing 3 years ago and even with mistakes along the way - his (and Sean’s) vision is shining through.

Nice - exactly as I suspected it actually saves them about 8 million next year. I would also guess - like the Mahomes deal - his 27 million base salary in 2023 would be able to be converted to a signing bonus prior to the year allowing about 20 million to get freed up in 2023 if needed. All depending on when the cap explodes with the new contracts - which we should see the massive jump after the 2023 season as the TV contracts go into effect for 2023. The deal gets better and better for flexibility and adding/keeping FAs.

That guy is so off - this signing actually saves the Bills significant CAP space next year - a little more up front this year and in 2023 with the new TV deal. Perfectly done by Beane.

If not we will thank you!

Looks like based upon the reported structure - they have an additional 5-10 million available next year and a way to structure a Diggs (or Edmunds) extension (or other FAs) to hit big in years opposite Josh’s big years - well thought out and planned by Beane.

I also love the way his salary goes up and then drops the next year and then up and down - that should allow you to be able to sign 1-2 guys with a similar structure on the off years - it sets up a potential Edmunds extension and maybe a Diggs extension with their salary structure mirror Allen’s on the opposite years. Nice work by Beane and Allen on this. Absolutely Huge!!

I don’t think it is a typo - as a option bonus - it is essentially a signing bonus - so that will get spread out over the last 6 years. It looks to me like his 20+ million 5th year option next year actually drops to 4.1 million + 8 million for the option bonus + 3 million for the singing bonus - so most likely a savings of 5-10 million next year. He is a bit more this year, but less next year giving the Bills more savings next year when they are tight.

Exactly - assuming they made no changes to this year or next year it adds up to essentially an 8 year 275 million deal or about 34+ million per season - backloaded to get through to the new TV deal - with some upfront cash. It is a great deal over the long haul and my guess is it will look better as more details are released and it increases as the salary cap increases to allow even more flexibility (JMO).

Especially really bad analogies just for an Ertz thread. 🤦‍♂️🤮

Wow - only thing missing was the GTD money. You sir are amazing. 😂

That was my first thought also.

Sal on WGR was talking about this yesterday. He - having grown up playing and coaching at different levels - said he typically addresses the staff as Coach so&so or just coach, but when addressed by his first name will on occasion respond with the coaches name - such as Sean. Several other media members use first name only as the staff they are talking with are not their coach it is Sean McDermott - coach of the Bills. Both seem acceptable as the staff has responded perfectly fine to either. Sal said he sometimes gets ribbed by other Media members for calling them coach, but he sees it as a sign of respect for what they have earned - much like calling someone Doctor as a sign of respect. He was also quick to point out that any coach (Garett/Deion) requesting to be called coach is a terrible look because that takes it out of personal discussion and basically says “I think I am better” and that leads to unhealthy interactions where the Media is going in more antagonistic. Basically - it is an asinine hill to die on - be better and let it go - even if you think you deserve that respect.

Why? They are both Beane and McD guys and with their contract restructuring they got some money upfront - I could easily see one or both wanting a shot at a ring and getting paid. If other teams are really interested - then even better as we would get some off-set money back most likely for next years cap, but I think both would easily go unclaimed and then have a choice at going to the PS.

@BADOLBILZ, I agree that for the second year in row the WRs were by far the deepest part of the draft, but I guess the things I read was basically that even with the WRs being deep in the draft - in a normal year there would have been 30+ more WRs in the pool and several would have pushed a guy like Stevenson down lower. Yes there are years where there have been WRs droughts and he would be ranked as highly, but I guess my overall point would be - next years draft with probably double the eligible players is going to have Stevenson level players as UDFAs because the pool is so deep. We will see, but I think if the Bills are forced to cut and try to PS a player like Stevenson-they will be ok and even if they lose him because they can get that same talent again next year if needed.

Have you seen anyone anyplace talking about Mitch “checking down”? Everything I have read and seen and all the interviews on pod casts talk about him making throws all over the field and now we get 1 guy saying he has been up and down. I guess from the fact that it sounds like he has been making throws to Davis, Gentry, Kumerow, Hodgkins, and Stevenson- I would assume just the opposite- it sounds like Mitchell is trying to learn the offense and utilize it to the fullest - to compare him to Tyrod or Trent makes no sense - he has never been that type of QB.

I still believe both Butler and Addison are big time McDermott guys and if the expanded PS with extra veterans is a go as I believe it is. I could see Beane and McD talking to 1 or both of these veteran guys and saying we want you around for leadership and to help mentor and we don’t think we can sneak those guys through - would you be willing to hit the PS and be available for call ups in specific situations? They both got guaranteed money already and likely neither would get significant offers from other teams (and if they do - they can go with the teams blessings) - we will have a spot for you and maybe get some offsets back. They are still part of an Super Bowl caliber team with potential to get them rings and most importantly if the rules sound as similar as last year - they can get a few call ups to really come in full tilt and then get a couple weeks of recovery time. I think the Bills do not want to lose their experience, but that would give them a way of keeping the young guys protected and maintain their experience around those guys. Plus they have a relationship with Beane and McD - that can help in these cases and if either gets poached - it does not kill you long term.

Because of COVID the number of eligible available draft picks was significantly lower this year and many juniors and seniors that sat out were granted an extra year of eligibility and decided to come back. It was talked about several times that many guys would never have been drafted and teams were actually looking ahead and actively trading picks in this draft for picks next year because the anticipation is that next year could have nearly twice as many eligible players declare for the draft making it one of the deepest ever. That doesn’t mean the top end talent was not as good, but a lot of the depth was missing and it allowed some very middle of the pack guys to get drafted based upon potential rather than on the field play.

It doesn’t sound like he is “checking down” - he had 2 long TD passes in practice Tuesday and again today. I think there are just different takes based upon what you are looking for. We see the same thing with Dane Jackson and Wallace with people saying one had a good day and another giving him a thumbs down. Just different viewpoints depending on exactly which play you noted.

The other side is this year the draft was very shallow - guys like Stevenson drafted in the 5th, 6th, and 7th rounds - mostly would have been UFAs in a typical year. The pool was roughly 1/2 the size due to COVID. I think Stevenson needs to more than flash to make this roster. He need to outshine McKenzie and he needs mistakes from McKenzie to catch up and pass him. I don’t see it at this point - Stevenson will be a nice PS player and will have a shot next year.

I love the breakdown and think you have it exactly right. The only few things I will add is if the reports of the expanded practice squad are correct along with the added veteran spaces - I wonder if that has some impact to decisions. We saw last year - the Bills were not afraid to have some veteran “name” players on the PS as protection and they were not afraid to use the call-ups to get some guys into the lineup as needed. The Bills have CAP space and I wonder if a couple of veterans like Addison and Butler might accept a cut and resign to the PS as a way to stay with the team, but allow the young guys a place on the roster. That allows a few call ups to make sure you have the experience, but protects the youth. Same thing may go for Hollister if his back takes a bit to get on the field - maybe stick around as a safety net and we will work with you. The final spot I could see getting some PS love from a veteran would be OL - maybe a Bobby Hart works with the Bills on a cut and resign to the PS as a safety net to allow the team to keep a younger guy, but provide veteran protections. It depends upon how much better/how close some of these battles are, but I could definitely see a few veterans decide that sticking with a potential SB team as a PS player this year could be a helpful move instead of being outright cut.

Another loser off the Belichick tree. He will join so many others that left Tom Brady and NE to fail miserably. Maybe the worst coaching tree in history - rotten from the core. The only good thing is watching BB fail without Brady as the team descends to mediocrity.

I have to say your Bills picks sure are bold - basically you have 3 receivers putting up over 4000 yards and 2000 yards rushing. That is 6000 yards amongst 5 players and we know the Josh spreads the ball. Are we looking at 8-9,000 yards of offense or close to 500 yards a game - I will sign up for that. I don’t see it happening, but man that would be awesome.

Totally agree, but in a single team practice - tempers just should not run that high - compared to a division rival late in the season. Guys should be able to control it to various levels. With his competitive streak - I could see Josh jumping in and going at it and taking the situation up a notch, but again in practice these guys all seem to up the intensity without some of the crazy. You typically get a couple of linemen going at it or a wr/cb in single issues, but nothing this full blown.

I think a lot of people feel this way, but when you replace a “ST only” player with someone that you think will contribute - most often you are going to be disappointed in the fact that the contributor will essentially become a new “ST only” player not both a ST players and a contributor. I only do it if the players are super close on special teams. For example - if the Bills feel Kumerow is just as good of a gunner or at least very close because the added benefit of Kumerow as a #7 WR versus Jones as a #4 RB are minimal - neither are going to see much live game action outside of Special teams. Even McKenzie winning the kick and punt returns will most likely put a dent in his offense play numbers. It does help in cases of injury during a game, but for example Jones when given a chance at RB has shown himself to be competent and actually has proven to be very good at receiving out of the backfield, but like Tasker years ago - his ability on special teams means you rarely get to see that side. The same thing will happen if Jones is replaced by Kumerow - suddenly Kumerow becomes Andre Roberts - a Special teams guy that would struggle in the offensive flow because of the time needed to master special teams. Every team has a core group of guys that become basically special teams mavens and we rarely see them do anything else - most are capable of playing on offense or defense if given the opportunity and allowed to prepare like other players, but you give that up to a degree to study and prepare for the role on special teams.

The Giants are an anomaly to me. They catch a break and get Eli Manning and yet have coaches like Coughlin that just eat at a team. Every 5-6 years they suddenly catch fire - play way over their head and win a Super Bowl and then immediately fade back into nothingness. The entire NFC East seems like that. Washington comes out of no where wins a SB and drops back into mediocrity, Philadelphia suddenly gets hot goes to the SB - drops back - changes coaches and bam lightening strikes again and then boom back to a crap roster. I have no expectations that the Giants, Gettleman, and Joe Judge are going to do anything - especially with Daniel Jones as QB, but it seems to be coming up to that magic time that they seem to get to unexpectedly win again. I just hope Joe Judge is gone first as he seems like a real 💩.