Erik Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 Albert Breer @AlbertBreer 7m My sense is Byrd isn't pushing the trade issue hard right now. He also wouldn't be opposed to one. Doubt Bills do it, would be selling low. Albert Breer @AlbertBreer 5m I know Bills brass held to principle in previous talks. And value in dealing an injured guy who can't be extended til Feb likely not high.
plenzmd1 Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 Yup, there are no direct quotes from the agents, and usually you don't hear the player's negotiating position directly. But there's been enough reporting from various "sources" as to what each side's position was. But I will also put my broken record on. The demand that Byrd be the highest paid safety in the game came from that Benigni tweet, and I think mischaracterizes the situation. I believe that Parker's demand is that Byrd get the highest paid safety contract in 2013 free agency, which would likely make him the highest paid safety. To me that's a big distinction. The contract mark gets reset each spring, and the guys who are free agents at the time benefit from the contract escalations. The Goldson deal established the mark, and Byrd's deal should have been in line with that deal. I get that, I am just saying think there could be lots of reasons for the impasse...could be as you state simple as being highest paid safety , in fact that is the most logical reason. But, if could also be asking for a three deal to hit UFA again while still in his 20's . Or, he could be asking for a higher percentage guaranteed than is normal. I just don't know, and if you put me in his situation , say I was a player for Arizona....I would want every penny as well
DDD Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 Ship him out of town and don't draft/sign a player represented by Eugene Parker.
BuffaloBob Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 The Bengals are keen on running an offense with two good tight ends, which is good strategy. No way do they make that trade. Especially for a guy you are only guaranteed to have for one Season!
SBUffalo Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 The Bengals are keen on running an offense with two good tight ends, which is good strategy. No way do they make that trade. How do you know they're keen on running an offense with two good TEs? This is the first year they've had two good tight ends for as long as I remember. That doesn't mean they're keen on anything. They've always been known for taking best player available. Gresham could likely be had for the right price.
BuffaloBob Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 i know! can you believe it! he doesnt even have an interception yet this year! not even a tackle! can we atleast let him play poorly before we criticize him for poor play? im pretty sure he played hurt last year in a scheme that the coach himself might not have understood yet alone the players and did pretty well. thats not to say he will for sure this year but he definitely hasnt proven he wont. Umm, I was speaking hypothetically to a different poster, who suggested the Bills lose in this situation if he is unhappy and doesn't perform. Get it?
NoSaint Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 All I've heard publicly from the Bills is that they want to re-sign him to a long term deal. GO BILLS!!! i think we can only say a handful of things that are certain-- the bills would love to have him, but at their named price the bills have and will continue to explore options to make sure they maximize value of an asset with good value - with or without byrd staying in buffalo. byrd wants to be paid, whether in buffalo or somewhere else and after showing up and playing out his rookie deal like a good soldier he is willing to do what it takes to maximize his own worth, not his worth to buffalo - although those two things may at some point align.
dave mcbride Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 Yup, there are no direct quotes from the agents, and usually you don't hear the player's negotiating position directly. But there's been enough reporting from various "sources" as to what each side's position was. But I will also put my broken record on. The demand that Byrd be the highest paid safety in the game came from that Benigni tweet, and I think mischaracterizes the situation. I believe that Parker's demand is that Byrd get the highest paid safety contract in 2013 free agency, which would likely make him the highest paid safety. To me that's a big distinction. The contract mark gets reset each spring, and the guys who are free agents at the time benefit from the contract escalations. The Goldson deal established the mark, and Byrd's deal should have been in line with that deal. In the Buffalo News piece today, it says that he'll be the 8th highest paid safety in the league this year.
The Big Cat Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 What does OPM stand for? Other people's money.
NoSaint Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 Umm, I was speaking hypothetically to a different poster, who suggested the Bills lose in this situation if he is unhappy and doesn't perform. Get it? my apologies, a bit frustrated and have seen several say the last week or so (really all offseason) that hes 100% not going to play well.
dave mcbride Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 How do you know they're keen on running an offense with two good TEs? This is the first year they've had two good tight ends for as long as I remember. That doesn't mean they're keen on anything. They've always been known for taking best player available. Gresham could likely be had for the right price. Because it has been reported on for a while: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/bengals-get-started-2-tight-end-offense.
ko12010 Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 You're looking at the short-term only. NFL teams, and the Bills in particular, have a choice whether to continue to let Eugene Parker play this game. The player doesn't win in this case either. Yes, he gets his 6.9 Mil for not a lot of production, but he hurts himself in the long run. You can tell me all you want that some team will pony up big cash, and I have no doubt one will. But it won't be top safety money, I would bee willing to bet my life on it. Not after clearly playing the game like he has, not after performing poorly because "him not happy." And moreover, it sends a message to Eugene: Don't overplay your hand and expect us to cave in to you in the future. I see that as a win for the Bills. Especially with Carrington looking so good and possibly about to breakout this year
K-9 Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 In the Buffalo News piece today, it says that he'll be the 8th highest paid safety in the league this year. In terms of "average" salary, which is a crock. In actual salary this year, he is the 4th highest paid in the league. And it's all about the guaranteed money anyway, with Berry having received $25m plus as the highest. Weddle and Goldson are at $19m and $18m, respectively. GO BILLS!!!
Chimp Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 so most of his high end play the last four years amounts to a couple of poorly thrown balls? The 9 interception season came about from plenty of poorly thrown balls. I'm not saying that he isn't good but top safety money is for guys like Ed Reed or Polamalu. I have never heard anyone talk about Byrd they way they talk about guys like Reed and Polamalu. Other teams fear safeties like that. He isn't in the same class.
BuffaloBob Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 my apologies, a bit frustrated and have seen several say the last week or so (really all offseason) that hes 100% not going to play well. It's all good. I'm not one that thinks he will pout and malinger. But he would certainly be harming his own future to do so. I do NOT like Eugene Parker. I think he has overplayed his hand in this case, and continues to do so. It has become this game of chicken to see who will blink first. I want the Bills to stay the course and simply stick it to him as much as possible. He should not be rewarded for his tactics.
bobobonators Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 i wasnt speaking to you specifically, necasarily. i dont remember what your opinion was two weeks ago when he was showing up and we had no idea about the issue. many started on the "no way will he be in shape or have any chance of learning the playbook" then went to "omg hes faking an injury" to "HES CHRONICALLY INJURED YOU CANT PAY HIM" to "trade him for a first rounder so he can contribute to a super bowl run" in the matter of 2 weeks. when a single person goes through that entire progression, you have to question a little bit if they are thinking rationally or just grasping at reasons to be angry I understand you weren't talking to me specifically; and I'm not trying to be a smartass either; I'm just describing a line of thought. I like Byrd when he plays and he was awesome last year. My thoughts on Byrd have spiraled downward this offseason however. He didn't get his contract but he's still getting paid pretty damn well this season so I expect him to produce.
dave mcbride Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 (edited) The 9 interception season came about from plenty of poorly thrown balls. I'm not saying that he isn't good but top safety money is for guys like Ed Reed or Polamalu. I have never heard anyone talk about Byrd they way they talk about guys like Reed and Polamalu. Other teams fear safeties like that. He isn't in the same class. Not that Polamolu isn't a great player, but he hasn't had a good season since 2011. Polamolu has played in 42 out of 64 games the last four seasons too -- he's missed about 1/3 of all Steelers games since 2009. Reed had a bad season last year too, if statistical analysis is to be believed. Edited September 5, 2013 by dave mcbride
GA BILLS FAN Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 Byrd really has no leverage in these negotiations --- for sake of argument, let's say he has the best intentions and wants to play and is really hurt --- what does it say to other teams that he CAN'T play because of an injury, that ALL EXPERTS say heals with rest, when he spent last 8 months RESTING ?? --- now let's say, he doesn't have best intentions, that he is "orchestrating" a trade through an exaggerated injury and being a pain in the a$$, how does not playing and performing on the field play to the other 31 NFL teams ? ---- this guy is between a rock and a hardplace -- if he (and his agent) are smart, their best course of action is performing ON THE FIELD --- I've read that Parker normally tells his clients just that, "take care of your business, and I'll do the rest" -- we might all be making more of this than we should -- maybe we should wait and see how he performs on Sunday and then react
BuffaloBob Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 Albert Breer @AlbertBreer 7m My sense is Byrd isn't pushing the trade issue hard right now. He also wouldn't be opposed to one. Doubt Bills do it, would be selling low. Albert Breer @AlbertBreer 5m I know Bills brass held to principle in previous talks. And value in dealing an injured guy who can't be extended til Feb likely not high. Thank you, what I've been saying for a while now.
GG Posted September 5, 2013 Posted September 5, 2013 If, and I stress if, that's the case, then I can get on board with the mindset. That said, I think you're making a leap in logic that I haven't seen supported by any evidence or even hearsay, which isn't the case with the "highest paid" talk. Know what I mean? The problem with these types of reports is that the original quote or story gets recycled enough that it becomes the gospel truth. The line about Byrd needing to be the highest paid safety came from the Benigni tweet and people ran with it. There were plenty of stories in late spring, early summer that discussed Byrd's ask to be in the Goldson range. Here's a good summary from WGR. I think that Byrd is worthy of Weddle, Goldson type of contract.
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