Rochesterfan

Except JuJu was gone - said his goodbyes - He was moving on - right until his offers were not as a #1, but as an above average 2. The previous John Brown range 8-9 million. Suddenly when even the Jets offer barely beats the Steelers offer - that’s when he decides to come back. It wasn’t friends, it wasn’t relationships - it was I got few offers and the Jets and Ravens have limited passing - let me go back to Pittsburgh and see if one more year let’s me move on for more. It is one thing when these guys choose another offer and then give their goodbyes, but when you give your goodbyes before the end of the season and tell your teammates basically I’m not coming back and then sneak back when no one gives you what your agent thought - it is a bad look.

I think things like this and just how much he allows others to be loose - joking around with the kid sized uniform, not being afraid to be a butt of a joke and getting back at others - that kind of stuff can be vital in building a strong team. It goes unnoticed general fans, but it really seems his teammates appreciate him and how excited they were for him in that Miami game with the TDs. Those things are critical and are easy to lose, but bringing a guy like that back into the fold can allow some of that to carry over and remind guys that this is a game and we are a band of brothers. He was and is an important member of the team and it goes way beyond just his play on the field. Glad he is back!

Just remember with the cap at 182 this year (rather than the 150 million based upon revenue) - they still have around 30 million in overcharge for this year. The owners will have that 30 million out of the cap the next 2 years to balance the overspend for this year. So if the cap returns to normal - the league still has to pull 15+ million out each of the next 2 years to balance (or it could be mostly next year and less in 2 years - they have not provided the breakdown yet). Therefore; potentially cutting the cap for next year (even with a return to normal) to under what it was last year and a small increase over the 182 for this year. Also- yes they are adding an additional game, but they are potentially losing 2 preseason games where the players are not paid. Not sure the revenue doesn’t just balance out as price/cost for season tickets and tv deals - preseason was charged at the same rate as regular season.

Most everyone on the board wanted more at WR - especially more than Duke Williams. The majority of the board saw him as a #5/#6 WR and in the playoffs when it mattered most - he failed. The majority of members knew we needed more at WR - It was discussed when we tried to get Diggs before the trade deadline. Everyone knew they wanted more. More importantly - who is the Mythical DE that you wanted signed that gives you 10 sacks and is the huge game changer? There just isn’t anyone like that. Those guys are kept by their team. There are guys like Yannick and Lawson that have not put up 10 sacks most years (or ever in Lawson case) and we’re not difference makers on any of their previous teams, but for some reason guys think if we had paid 13-15 million for them as FAs they will suddenly be better. I think you are just talking out you backside and complaining because you have nothing else because for the majority of us - we recognize that we went 13-3 and have retained or improved across the board with the draft coming up.

They were not over the CAP. The NFL has been pretty clear - deals are not allowed for teams over the CAP - it changed some of the trade dates because Philadelphia had not cleared enough cash to trade Wentz. They had to wait an additional day while they made additional restructures to get the trade through. The Bills would not have been allowed to sign McKenzie yesterday or the DE today if we were over the Cap. The official numbers with the NFL reflect everything they have done - the numbers on websites like Spotrac do not and are not official. I will agree the restructure is not so the Bills can spend 7.5 million, but it gave them room to sign the DE and have some additional money if needed and pay their draft picks. Prior to that and after McKenzie the CAP space for the Bills was down to about 1 million - not even enough to get the draft picks under the cap.

I agree he is methodical, but he just did the Tre’ White restructure- most likely to give them space after the McKenzie signing. They will need a couple of million for draft picks (minimum amount because they are picking late and only top 51 count), the will want some in case of injury - most teams like a 3-4 million buffer for in season signing for injuries, and finally most likely there will be 1 or 2 additional vets, either before the draft or after the July 1st cuts, that Beane might have an eye out for - that having a couple of million available will allow them to go after. This is exactly what I expected after listening to Beane and reading the articles. A few small restructures - just to keep his flexibility open, but not to go after a shiny toy - it is to keep the team and be prepared. I totally agree - he already has designs on the Josh extension and although people will hate to hear this an Edmunds option also. He has also I am sure already put together a full list of next years FA’s, next years expected draft picks, and exactly how much money the Bills expect based on various scenarios in cap space. He is totally thinking 1, 2, 3, and 5 years out and trying to ensure he is ready. The planning for next year will help drive his draft picks for this year. He will draft people this year that will be available to fill holes on the roster for next year. He knows what positions appear to be strong and works to position the team needs to fit the drafts (and FA) strengths. He is nothing if not methodical.

Totally agree! I think this is the restructure to sign McKittrick yesterday, get enough funds for draft picks and have a bit more to go after vet minimum players over the course of the season. You need some money for injuries, draft picks, and if a guy is cut that you might want. I do not see this as a prelude to a big signing.

I totally agree with the sentiment, but he has renegotiated several contracts to kick the can down the road in his limited time - he just is very prudent about it and the money is minor. The way I take everything Beane has said is that he knows there are ways to free up money, but he is only going to do it for specific things. My guess is that if he is looking for a solid young DE (sort of like The Diggs trade) and something shakes free then he would make the move to free up money. He is not going to do it to sign a flash in the pan player like Lawson at DE that has produced less than Addison, but got paid 3X his salary for the year. I agree that this is not a one year thing - as I stated - Beane is constantly looking at contracts and impacts 1, 2, 3 years down the road. He is constantly factoring in money available now and the impact and FAs coming up. This is not a win at all costs approach that will cost us players in a few years - this is a steady long term approach that will sustain us even when Josh gets paid.

Nice. The issue isn’t that he can’t create the space - the biggest issue that there is still uncertainty in the Cap levels for the next 2 years before the new media package takes place. He is being smart and saving it unless the perfect player or trade lines up that could really help ensure the future of the team. The NFL has nearly 30 million in lost cap space per team to recoup after this year. The Cap would have dropped into the 150 million range and instead they agreed to 183. No one know exactly how much of the CAP will be pulled from next year after the pandemic to start to balance out the lost revenue. If you make a general assumption that the Cap would have risen to the expected levels for this year - that would put the Cap at 212 million and if they recollect all 30 million lost - the Cap could stay flat at 182/183 million and the teams that kicked a bunch into next year suddenly have a lot more kicking to do. If they split it over 2 years - the Cap could be 195 and basically back to what it was before the pandemic. This is all assuming that everything in stadium returns to normal. If there are issues and stadiums are reduced - that Cap could shrink. With the additional regular season game the Cap could rise - although they are losing a preseason game - which was free revenue. The other issue is with our current roster - unless The Cap goes up toward 215 million - we are already getting up against it for next year and he has Josh and Edmunds contracts to deal with - both 5th year options that will get exercised. He will be using the restructures next year to gain the space and if he uses them this year - he already kicked some into next year and has to kick even more into the following year. He is not afraid to do it, but eventually kicking the bonuses and salary forward gets you hamstrung until 2024 and the new media that will blow up the current Cap level and start things resetting. Don’t blow it all this year and make it hard to do things next year and cost yourself a shot in FA next year. Beane is not just looking at 2021 - he is planning 2022 and 2023 to ensure he can keep the team together, improve it, and most important bring home a championship without losing your core.

Because he was injured also. None of the top 5 receivers were healthy. He had leg issues and it was said he was having issues cutting.

WTF are you going on about - I have seen nearly nothing to warrant the topic title. I know Bills fans can be loud - I think you confused 5 total people with thousands of Bills fans. Good Gravy - especially with McKittrick re-signing.

This would be terrible in my opinion. 1) TEs seem to take multiple years to develop - so you would waste a pick for a guy that might finally develop in 3 years. 2) Generational TEs (the top guys right now) are rarely drafted high - most are later picks and even undrafted. The top TEs have mostly been busts/average once they hit the NFL. 3) The Bills and Josh seem to be a very WR centric team - so even drafting a TE does not mean he excels on this team and they won’t until Josh’s game adjusts to more dump offs and short throws to RBs and TEs on leak routes. Right now he is in the read the defense and choose the open WR mode and the Bills have at least 4 good WRs for him to work with. 4) The Bills under this staff bring most rookies along slowly - giving them little responsibility and little playing time early in the season and gradually increasing that time as deserved. Therefore; I can’t imagine at TE - Pitts even sees the field in a real capacity due to this and the time it takes for TEs to learn scheme and blocking in the NFL. 5) The Bills are mostly employing the TE right now in an H-Back role for additional blitz pick-up and then late routes out of the back field. The same goes with RB. I would not trust a rookie in either role to protect your most valuable asset - especially early in the season. It also limits the routes the TE will be running and I do not see the team taking multiple of Beasley, Diggs, Sanders, and Davis off the field to put a rookie TE on the field. Overall for me - Pitts at 30 would be fine, but giving up additional high picks (OP wanted to give up 2nd and you are adding a 3rd) is just a loss of young talent that we can’t have for a position that does not translate from college well and does not show any positive effects for multiple years. I would rather use those picks on 3 guys that can help strengthen the team and look for a freak athlete later or UDFA that can develop.

I just do not see Becker as TE3. The Bills still have Gilliam and Sweeney along with Knox and Hollister. My guess is Hollister and Gilliam battle it out for special teams/H back role and Knox/Sweeney are your in line guys. Becker is your Smith replacement and I think sits on the PS until they want the extra OLine blocking help - similar to Smith last year. With 5 TEs on the roster and 4 of them being very young - I just don’t see a late flyer at TE. If you are drafting one - it has to replace a top 2 position and I do not see that in this draft in a viable spot. If they trade for one they are again looking at higher end. I know it will tick people off, but I think they are set with the TE room. They have a better blocker/H back now in Hollister and athletic TE in Knox as their 1-2 punch and Sweeney can fill either role and Gilliam showed special team prowess and an ability to both block and catch as needed.

Nice Job responding even not as the OP, but then who are the Giants overpaying for to move up to 30. I am sure there might be someone that falls, but to risk a drop of 12 with so few talented TEs in the draft - I am not sure he makes it.

Rather keep #30 and our second. Do not want anyone on the list at 18. We will let the draft fall to us at 30 and see what we can do. I wouldn’t be shocked if at least 2-3 of those guys aren’t still available at 30 and if we move up to draft a RB - I think our collective heads should explode. Man- I just can not wait for training camp.

You need to fix the poll - we need nothing. Everything is covered. If a DE becomes available or a young TE could we sign - yep, but we could also go into the season as positioned with our draft picks and UDFAs and be fine.

The difference is that all 3: Diggs, Sanders, and Davis have plenty of speed to threaten teams deep. All three have shown an ability to run every route in the tree and they all have more than enough speed to get behind a secondary. Last year with Brown - the Bills had 1 speed guy in Brown, 1 route runner in Diggs, and a rookie in Davis that was forced more into the John Brown role due to injuries. What the threesome of Diggs, Davis, and Sanders gives you - is the ability to totally mix and match routes throughout the entire defense - across layers. Diggs and Sanders can both play outside or in the slot. Davis can flip to either outside receiver. That means the Bills can force teams to dictate double coverage and give Josh easy reads. We also know Diggs and Sanders can both run precision routes out of both the slot or the outside and either can get deep to draw coverage - opening areas underneath. So yes they lose some speed, but I think they have 3 guys that can now threaten the defense and mix and match routes to coverages. Plus Beasley is slippery underneath and to come back to the thread - Hollister gives them the H back presence to block and slip out. They used that with Knox, but he was not that comfortable and his blocking was suspect at times because he was thinking about the route. I think the offense as set now can be significantly better than last years in terms of control and getting open. I don’t know if they will score more, but I think they can be the type of offense to dominate teams because they can roll more weapons than you can cover.

So Milano does not move your needle, but when finally healthy the defense was top 5 DVOA after struggling early. I think you are wrong - especially in the McDermott defense that features LBs like him. Lawson has consistently underproduced since his rookie splash and even last year had fewer sacks than Addison. Yes he got a ton of pressure for a very bad defense in which he ignored his responsibilities and just went after the QB. It is like looking at Phillips numbers in his walk year in Buffalo and assuming you are getting that every year. Lawson will settle into the Jets defense and be a 13 million dollar 6 sack guy that drive fans insane. Autry again in a walk year put up career numbers and got to 7.5 sacks in an upfield attacking defense with less responsibility that in our defense. My understanding was the Bills liked him because he was good at the point of attack and not really his pass rushing. I think he puts up numbers very similar to Addison at a higher cost. The advantage is he is a bit younger, but he has never matched Addison at his peak. Hendrickson would have been the prize to me - young got better and actually produced on a good defense. Still some worries as most of his production came in his walk year, but the potential to be better is there. Cincinnati feels like he is a significant upgrade - which agains worries me about Lawson - and his cost 4 years 60 million would most likely cost you all 3 players you resigned - Milano, Williams, and Mongo. I take the 3 guys that we know and gave us the discount to go out and sign others over the unknown guy that seemed to feel money was more important that signing with a winner. The goal is to win the Super Bowl every year and bringing back a 13-3 team with a lot of young guys at several key spots and a HC that has adjusted every year to get better and find ways to get more out of his players - tells me we are in the mix. The fact that KC lost their entire OL and have only replaced 2 guards (one with a guy that has been out of the league for years) and way overpayed- tells me they did not improve or even stay the same. So right know - yes I think the Bills have gained significantly on KC and the Chargers have also - so I am going to enjoy the ride and let the team continue to grow - rather than complain in every thread about the same BS. The Bills are good and plan to be good for the foreseeable future. Enjoy!

The Spotrac figure is just a guess for next year - so again if they project 209 million and the league lops 20 million of the COVID adjust - that would drop it to 189 million - an increase of 6 million from this year and a number many team will struggle with next year. I think Bean is being smart because the fact is the GMs do not know what the cost is going to be. If a new COVID variant comes out - fans could be limited again. The already have 1 COVID adjustment to make - what if it becomes 2. Beane will have options again next year to adjust CAP space, but the smart teams will watch how much you kick forward until we have a better idea. Again - my belief is Beane will save the option and if he can find a trade or a guy is released that will be a difference maker he will make a move.

I think this is just foolish. Beane has already said he is looking for long term sustainable with a SuperBowl quality team and that is what he is building. I will say it again - what are the expectations for next years salary cap? Assuming that things return to normal - we can expect that it will go pretty close to where it was projected for this year before COVID ~ 210-215 million. So that is a huge jump right from 183 million? Wait remember that the Salary Cap floor this year of 183 was an artificial increase from the 155 million range that the revenue dictated. That difference will be removed from the next 1-2 years of cap space. Let’s assume the difference is 30 million - if they split it between the next 2 years - next years cap could be under 195 million (just a small increase from this year and right back to 2020 levels). That is assuming an even split. The owners lose money on the deal the longer the split takes (which is why they nixed the 10 year spread and wanted it recouped within a couple of years) - so maybe they pull 20+ million or more back and next years Cap is only 190 million. Now you have 2 contracts in Josh and Edmunds that will be getting 5th year option money - not all the way to the huge contracts, but healthy increases and you have kicked 5-10 million in Cap space and you have no room for next year. Yes eventually in 2024 after the new TV contracts kick in for 2023 the CAP will shoot up and all the kicking will be fine, but Beane is looking at the next 2 years with uncertain CAP levels because of the COVID pay back and no guarantee that all of the expected revenue will return and he does not want to just automatically kick the can into next year because that could hamstring things next year. My guess is he will hold the restructures in his back pocket and keep trying to sign people at his market value and if he gets a deal - then restructure, but if the deal is not there - keep the money to figure out how to attack in the future - leave things flexible. He is being smart and thinking about this year, next year, and the following year to ensure they can stay at the top. KC already had to restructure several contracts just to sign guards and they still do not have a complete OL - so currently the Bills have gained just with the status quo.

I think this is the key! The Bills used a ton of H Back block action with Knox and he struggled and could not use his athleticism. I think now you have a better H back (smith was not athletic enough to do this) and then when you want Knox - you can line him up more traditional TE role to allow the athletic nature come out. Knox becomes your new version of Ertz to threaten the defense. Hollister plays H back and slides out for catches.

Love his attitude and heart - just do not see any way on a team with SB aspirations that Wade makes the final roster. I could see them look at a counting PS spot, but I think his football journey ends this year. He made nice money and lived a dream many of us would love. I could see them using him as a liaison in the UK, but I just don’t think he has enough of the basic blocking/receiving skills to be a full time player.

At least add the stadium is not about to be renamed. Kill both birds with 1 bored LAMP. 😂

Maybe in a real situation like Buffalo - he can learn how to become a better QB and that makes him better long term. I am sure he could have gone out to a crap team like the Jets and competed to be a starter, but if he fails there or struggles - he is done. Many players (and coaches for that matter) would be significantly better taking a year to get your head right and learn from someone that works and then going out and trying it again. He might not play at all or maybe just some preseason or mop up duty, but if he learns the hows and whys of route combos and what to expect in certain situations- maybe he becomes a better QB and a better person in the long run. Many times a step back ends up helping out long term to refocus and reset your priorities.

I love this and the next best part is the Bills brass has already acknowledged this is basically a 1 year deal - let Mitch become the best version of himself. Lets just think for 30 seconds about this - assume he barely plays - shows out a bit in pre-season and mop up duty. Most likely a QB needy team goes after him as a FA next off season and he becomes a nice high end Comp Pick. Comp picks are based on number and Salary and QBs command huge salary - Bingo nice way for the Bills to move into that phase and have some protection this year as Fromm continues to develop. Not sure he got a lot of training last year.