How long will the Bills window be open?

[zow2]

Obviously last season the window opened up wide for us...and it continues this season.  How often do you see one team ranked with the #1 overall defense, the #5 overall offense, awesome QB, talent everywhere, great coach with assistants being coveted around the league....etc.

 

My question (knowing there is no concrete answer), how long does the window stay wide open like this..  For the next 2-3 seasons? For the entirety of Josh Allen's career?  

 

These are good times to be a Bills fan.  Not sure what the braintrust has drawn up for KC this weekend but this seems like the perfect time to seize the moment.  They got hot at the right time.

[MAJBobby]

As long as Allen is the QB  So the next decade and a half

Edited January 18, 2022 by MAJBobby

[KingBoots8]

I’ll be honest here: I think we have 2 years after this season, then we have a lot of aging veteran players who will be likely on their way out of town.
 

We have maybe 1-2 down years (wildcard years) while we build back up with younger talent, then another 6-8+ years. After that it all depends on Josh and the rest of the team

Edited January 18, 2022 by KingBoots8

[bigK14094]

With a QB, the window is always open.  When vets depart, new talent will be available drafted a year or two earlier. (See Groot and Boogie)

[GunnerBill]

Yep, as long as we have Josh happy and healthy. I'd say a decade minimum. 15 years maximum. Somewhere in that range. 

[Success]

Allen and Beane are going to be an epic combo.  

 

Conventional wisdom now is that your window starts to close as soon as the QB is off his rookie deal, and consumes a ton of cap space.  I tend to reject that anyway, since a LOT of vet QB's have won SB's - but I have a ton of faith in Beane to continue to manage that & surround JA with good and great players no matter what the circumstances.

 

 

[Mango]

It will depend on how we do with drafts and FA decisions the next few years. I am glad the OL is gel-ing. It allows us some patience in letting rookies progress over the next year or two rather than need them to impact on day one. 

Phillips, Wallace, McKenzie, Edmunds resigning or getting immediate and comparable production will be a major defining factor. 

[DrDawkinstein]

At least 5, more likely 10 years, easy.

 

I am more confident than ever that Allen WILL bring the Bills at least one SB victory in his career. May not be this year (although I think it might!) but it WILL happen!

 

The good news is, we can all start transitioning from suffering, battered fans who grasp at any shred of legitimacy, to just enjoying the ride every year.

 

Go Bills!

[Warcodered]

14 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

Yep, as long as we have Josh happy and healthy. I'd say a decade minimum. 15 years maximum. Somewhere in that range. 

I think the whole rookie window thing got way overblown because of Mahomes, and oddly enough Goff and Wentz. You have one of the best QBs in the NFL and your window is open simple as that, there are other ways to do it but that way is clear and obvious.

[DrDawkinstein]

29 minutes ago, KingBoots8 said:

I’ll be honest here: I think we have 2 years after this season, then we have a lot of aging veteran players who will be likely on their way out of town.
 

We have maybe 1-2 down years (wildcard years) while we build back up with younger talent, then another 6-8+ years. After that it all depends on Josh and the rest of the team

 

That's a lot of words to say "10 years", haha

[lookylookyherecomescookie]

21 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

Yep, as long as we have Josh happy and healthy. I'd say a decade minimum. 15 years maximum. Somewhere in that range. 

I'd say Josh, Beane , and McDermott

[Augie]

20 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

 I think the whole rookie window thing got way overblown because of Mahomes, and oddly enough Goff and Wentz. You have one of the best QBs in the NFL and your window is open simple as that, there are other ways to do it but that way is clear and obvious.

 

The favorite QB’s to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl are Brady and Rodgers. Apparently it’s not an insurmountable barrier. 

 

As long as we have a healthy Josh Allen, we will be in the picture. 

 

 

.

Edited January 18, 2022 by Augie

[NewEra]

The window will always be open with 17 but I really think we have to get one this year or next.  The safety tandem is getting older.  They aren’t just a good pairing.  P&H are much more.  
 

Hyde, 31, has 2 years left on his contract 

Poyer, 30, has 1 year left on his contract

 

 

[GunnerBill]

8 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

I think the whole rookie window thing got way overblown because of Mahomes, and oddly enough Goff and Wentz. You have one of the best QBs in the NFL and your window is open simple as that, there are other ways to do it but that way is clear and obvious.

 

Yep. 

[Logic]

36 minutes ago, MAJBobby said:

As long as Allen is the QB  So the next decade and a half

This.

Josh Allen is the best, most impactful player in the league.

For as long as he puts on a Bills #17 jersey, the Bills will be Super Bowl contenders.

[May Day 10]

The window is wide open as long as they have Josh Allen.

 

This particular team as is?  Perhaps next season, and then they will have to re-tool some position groups.  Need to draft well and keep replenishing with cheap and capable players who contribute.  

 

A major key is going to be in finding the heirs apparent to Hyde and Poyer.  

[harryS]

yeah, until Josh is about 37 or so.  we won't be great every year, as some seasons will be ruined by injuries or otherwise bad luck since it's the NFL, but most years we'll be contenders.

[DrDawkinstein]

2 minutes ago, NewEra said:

The window will always be open with 17 but I really think we have to get one this year or next.  The safety tandem is getting older.  They aren’t just a good pairing.  P&H are much more.  
 

Hyde, 31, has 2 years left on his contract 

Poyer, 30, has 1 year left on his contract

 

 

 

You're not wrong, but everyone is secondary (pun intended) to Allen.

 

As long as Allen is here, and leading the Offense to early leads, that will put pressure on opposing Offenses to pass, which makes our Pass Rush better, and our Secondary better (i.e. more pass break ups, more ints).

[teef]

[ColoradoBills]

11 minutes ago, zow2 said:

My question (knowing there is no concrete answer), how long does the window stay wide open like this..  For the next 2-3 seasons? For the entirety of Josh Allen's career?  

 

The same question could be asked about the KC Chiefs and other recent top teams.  Fans like to use a few reasons that I will

cite for the "window" and its length.

 

1.  Window is determined on QB salary:

Paying a QB (which starts for KC next and the Bills in 2023) puts cap limits in play but I believe not as much as some fans think.

It takes away 1 big money impact player at the peak of his salary.  That is not a crippling situation.  It is constantly brought up that

a QB salary at times is a bargain a few years after a big contract is signed.  Allen signing for 6 years is great as long as his play

stays elite.

 

2.  Current star players aging:

It's a constant issue for every team regardless of records.  Having a long-term plan which identifies these players and having replacements

in mind (especially on the team in a depth position) is paramount.  Smart FA and drafting of course is the key to this.  Staggering your high priced

players and rookie contracts ease's the transitions.

 

3.  High dollar FAs:  

It seems to me the most controversial issue argued about.  Reason being the window will not remain open for long so grab as many

FAs now (and worry about the consequences later) to run for a Super Bowl.  I imagine this FA period there will be dozens of threads

arguing the pros and cons of each player talked about.  IMO it is one of the most misused choices made by GMs/HCs.  Signing high

dollar FAs that don't perform can slam that window faster than anything but signing the ones that excel is a game changer.

 

Beane and McDermott have said over and over they want a long run with the Bills.  Having Josh Allen makes that all possible.

Beane will have to resist going after too many impact FAs and will have to follow a long-term plan and hope it works more years

than not.  Using the "window" analogy I'm expecting Beane to attempt to keep his window as open as possible in any given year

without creating a situation that slams the window shut in the future.

 

It's an extremely hard thing to do but I am very interested to watch him attempt to do it!  I try to keep all this in mind after every one

of Beane's moves!