Cole Beasley given permission to seek trade

[Hapless Bills Fan]

12 minutes ago, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said:

 

Forgot about the roster bonus.  So agree it will happen soon then!  And yes doubt he'd take the large pay cut, if he was open to it then likely never would have allowed him to look for a trade.

 

But what if in trying to find a trade teams all tell him yes we'd love to have you but only at $3 mil a year.  Would he then think different about going back to Bills at less money?

 

Well, IDK how players and agents really look at it. 

 

How I would look at it, assuming that Beasley still wants to play for a few years (he says he's an 'adrenaline junkie') is that Beasley had $6.1 cash coming from the Bills this year, but this is the last year of his contract.  What duration of contract will the other team offer?  If they offer him a 3 year deal for $9M, let's say this year $1M guaranteed salary and a $5M signing bonus amortized over 3 years, Beasley gets $6M cash this year with the possibility of more $ to come, especially if he can lobby for some guaranteed $$ next year.  So that's a break-even for Beas cash-wise or, if he can negotiate some guaranteed $$ maybe even a raise. 

 

But meanwhile the other team is paying him $3M/yr and in fact, has a cap hit of only $2.67M this year.

 

I think the Bills ship sailed

[Hapless Bills Fan]

11 hours ago, Reed83HOF said:

 

 

 

 

 

It's kind of lame, frankly, if he's got a story why not just break it?

[TheFunPolice]

Cole yesterday after all these signings: "give me the damn shot!"

[MAJBobby]

Beasley has 3 days to take the pay cut, find a trade partner or be cut.  That is the reality with him.

[DCofNC]

Would like to see Beas back, but I’m guessing he’s going to have to play ball to be on the roster by EOW.  Hopefully, he gets it, he’s not going to get a better situation or shot to win. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, MAJBobby said:

Beasley has 3 days to take the pay cut, find a trade partner or be cut.  That is the reality with him.

 

I could be wrong, but my translation of what Jon Scott is hinting in the tweets quoted upthread is that Beasley was not offered the option for a paycut to stay with the team.

 

 

[GolfandBills]

2 hours ago, TheFunPolice said:

Cole yesterday after all these signings: "give me the damn shot!"

Doubtful 

[MarkyMannn]

Just now, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I could be wrong, but my translation of what Jon Scott is hinting in the tweets quoted upthread is that Beasley was not offered the option for a paycut to stay with the team.

 

 

I was wondering if Beasley was due $7m this year, what is the Bills current offer to him? Now seeing this play out, I think your post HBF and no offer is what's happening.

[SCBills]

Beasley and Hughes are two guys that I really wish could take the ride with us, but are still good players who can command a legitimate deal on the open market.   

 

Unfortunately, for the sentimental side of me, they are not guys that the Bills should be remotely interested in at the price point they can get elsewhere.  

 

While Hughes would be useful, given the fact I believe Von will be on a snap count per se (until the Playoffs), Beasley just doesn't make any sense to me.. We need more speed out of the slot and for cap purposes, layering contracts in a way so Diggs, Davis and a high draft pick are spaced out.  

[Hapless Bills Fan]

 

17 minutes ago, SCBills said:

Beasley and Hughes are two guys that I really wish could take the ride with us, but are still good players who can command a legitimate deal on the open market.   

 

Unfortunately, for the sentimental side of me, they are not guys that the Bills should be remotely interested in at the price point they can get elsewhere.  

 

While Hughes would be useful, given the fact I believe Von will be on a snap count per se (until the Playoffs), Beasley just doesn't make any sense to me.. We need more speed out of the slot and for cap purposes, layering contracts in a way so Diggs, Davis and a high draft pick are spaced out.  

 

What do you think is the price point Beasley can get elsewhere?

 

One person made the point that a reason for Beasley to "get permission to seek a trade" is so that his agent can openly negotiate new contracts with potential trade partners, so the trade partner does not necessarily have to "lock in" to his current contract terms. 

 

I'd point out 🦗, except that we all had very visible proof with Beane yesterday that 🦗 are the Orca whale silently swimming up under its prey then 🌊

[SCBills]

3 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

 

What do you think is the price point Beasley can get elsewhere?

 

One person made the point that a reason for Beasley to "get permission to seek a trade" is so that his agent can openly negotiate new contracts with potential trade partners, so the trade partner does not necessarily have to "lock in" to his current contract terms. 

 

I'd point out 🦗, except that we all had very visible proof with Beane yesterday that 🦗 are the Orca whale silently swimming up under its prey then 🌊

 

Above the vet minumum, which is what I would pay for him on this team.  

 

I just don't like the fit.  Diggs is the vet in his prime, about to get an extension most likely.  Davis is set to, hopefully, ascend - and has two years left on his rookie deal.  That WR3, IMO, should be a high rookie draft pick that can play inside/outside with speed and allows us to smartly layer our WR contracts. 

[Buftex]

36 minutes ago, SCBills said:

Beasley and Hughes are two guys that I really wish could take the ride with us, but are still good players who can command a legitimate deal on the open market.   

 

Unfortunately, for the sentimental side of me, they are not guys that the Bills should be remotely interested in at the price point they can get elsewhere.  

 

While Hughes would be useful, given the fact I believe Von will be on a snap count per se (until the Playoffs), Beasley just doesn't make any sense to me.. We need more speed out of the slot and for cap purposes, layering contracts in a way so Diggs, Davis and a high draft pick are spaced out.  

Receivers with great hands, should always make sense.  I'd take him back at the right price. Of course, we are a long way away from having the 2022 roster set, but to me, Beasley still has some value to the Bills, as it stands now.

[Alphadawg7]

Beasley > McKenzie in the slot and it’s not even close.  
 

That being said, I have full confidence Beane knows this and has no intention of heading into preseason with McKenzie as our starting slot WR for the season.  
 

I feel like the whole social media and vax stuff has caused fans to lose sight just how valuable Cole has been to Josh, how many huge third or fourth down conversions Cole made that were vital in a lot of games and wins.  
 

He is one of the best 3rd down WRs in the league.  McKenzie isn’t as good of a route runner, isn’t as tough (people forget how many tough plays Cole makes too), and doesn’t have as good of hands as Cole.  
 

Don’t get me wrong, I love bringing McKenzie back, he’s a weapon, he’s just not on Coles level out of the slot.  
 

So with Cole seemingly done here, my expectation is they will look for a slot guy in FA still, or more likely in the draft…and possibly both.  Josh loves hitting that slot guy on critical 3rd and 4th down plays, they will give him another weapon there before camp begins.  

[Special K]

On 3/4/2022 at 1:45 PM, Special K said:

 

Here's his replacement(He could also be a McKenzie replacement):

 

 

 

I posted this at the beginning of this thread a couple weeks ago....drafting a guy like Kyle Phillips is the way to go.....cheaper, younger, with the potential to be the next Cole Beasley.

[Royale with Cheese]

9 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Beasley > McKenzie in the slot and it’s not even close.  
 

That being said, I have full confidence Beane knows this and has no intention of heading into preseason with McKenzie as our starting slot WR for the season.  
 

I feel like the whole social media and vax stuff has caused fans to lose sight just how valuable Cole has been to Josh, how many huge third or fourth down conversions Cole made that were vital in a lot of games and wins.  
 

He is one of the best 3rd down WRs in the league.  McKenzie isn’t as good of a route runner, isn’t as tough (people forget how many tough plays Cole makes too), and doesn’t have as good of hands as Cole.  
 

Don’t get me wrong, I love bringing McKenzie back, he’s a weapon, he’s just not on Coles level out of the slot.  
 

So with Cole seemingly done here, my expectation is they will look for a slot guy in FA still, or more likely in the draft…and possibly both.  Josh loves hitting that slot guy on critical 3rd and 4th down plays, they will give him another weapon there before camp begins.  

 

What are your thoughts of us having more two Tight End sets and not having that true slot WR?  Davis can be the big slot, McKenzie can be quick slot guy trying to get YAC and Diggs can rotate in giving us different looks?  I think Dorsey will run less 4 WR sets.

[Alphadawg7]

9 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

 

What are your thoughts of us having more two Tight End sets and not having that true slot WR?  Davis can be the big slot, McKenzie can be quick slot guy trying to get YAC and Diggs can rotate in giving us different looks?  I think Dorsey will run less 4 WR sets.

I love the two TE set potential with OJ Howard here.  I’ve been advocating trying to get him for the past 2-3 years from Tampa.  I think pairing his athletic ability with Knox own athletic ability is going to put a lot of pressure on defenses.

 

But that being said, Cole wasn’t on the field for just 4 WR sets, he was a key component if this offense, even as just a guy the defense had to pay serious attention to on 3rd and 4th down which helped other guys as well.

 

So I still think Beane is going to look for another guy to add at the slot position, and likely in the draft.  He was also reportedly interested in Barrios before he signed elsewhere already.

[boyst]

25 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Beasley > McKenzie in the slot and it’s not even close.  
 

That being said, I have full confidence Beane knows this and has no intention of heading into preseason with McKenzie as our starting slot WR for the season.  
 

I feel like the whole social media and vax stuff has caused fans to lose sight just how valuable Cole has been to Josh, how many huge third or fourth down conversions Cole made that were vital in a lot of games and wins.  
 

He is one of the best 3rd down WRs in the league.  McKenzie isn’t as good of a route runner, isn’t as tough (people forget how many tough plays Cole makes too), and doesn’t have as good of hands as Cole.  
 

Don’t get me wrong, I love bringing McKenzie back, he’s a weapon, he’s just not on Coles level out of the slot.  
 

So with Cole seemingly done here, my expectation is they will look for a slot guy in FA still, or more likely in the draft…and possibly both.  Josh loves hitting that slot guy on critical 3rd and 4th down plays, they will give him another weapon there before camp begins.  

you speak of the toughness of Beasley and that McKenzie is not as tough. To keep Beasley to have depth at the slot position is going to be important. Slot receivers get banged up more than most. To keep depth at the slot position having both would be a great opportunity.

Stevenson has not showed the potential we wished. I am not even sure he will be returning kicks next year. He, among a few on this roster, is great potential for trade fodder.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

48 minutes ago, SCBills said:

Above the vet minumum, which is what I would pay for him on this team.  

 

I just don't like the fit.  Diggs is the vet in his prime, about to get an extension most likely.  Davis is set to, hopefully, ascend - and has two years left on his rookie deal.  That WR3, IMO, should be a high rookie draft pick that can play inside/outside with speed and allows us to smartly layer our WR contracts. 

 

Good take IMO.   I'll add that one aspect of Cole's tenure here that I think was under-appreciated is how much of a "player coach" he was for 2nd year Josh.  He got in Josh's ear every play and helped re-wire him from a QB who thought he could wait to make his throw until the WR turned and rely on his arm to rifle it in, into a QB who would "throw to the spot" and trust his WR to see it the same way and arrive when the ball did.

 

But now Josh has internalized that, and shown he will trust other WR and throw other WR open (Diggs, Davis, Sanders, McKenzie).  Beasley is no longer needed in that role.

 

So what does Beasley bring?

 

37 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Beasley > McKenzie in the slot and it’s not even close.  (.....)

He is one of the best 3rd down WRs in the league.  McKenzie isn’t as good of a route runner, isn’t as tough (people forget how many tough plays Cole makes too), and doesn’t have as good of hands as Cole. 

 

OK, so there's a bunch of stuff I agree with here, and some I question.  Bottom line up front, I agree with you that IF Dorsey wants the same kind of slot receiver role that Beasley filled in this offense, McKenzie is not the answer and the Bills better have another plan.  That said....

 

McKenzie has improved significantly as a route runner in the last 2 years (since Chad Hall and Diggs).  He's also improved his hands - some of his 11 receptions in the NWE game were very high degree of difficulty catches, and potentially catches Beasley didn't make last year.  That TD catch in the Pats game was thrown behind him, and he literally reversed direction and went back for it.

 

I will grant that Beasley has been McKenzie's Daddy as a route runner and for hands - other things being equal.  But when hampered by injury (as he was in playoffs 2020 and much of the season 2021) and as McK has improved, the difference lessens.  Maybe to favorite Uncle?

 

I'm also not sure that you're correct McKenzie isn't as tough.  Between KR, PR, receptions, and rushes McKenzie saw the ball 78 times last season, "took a licking" on a lot of those plays, held up and hung on.  That's essentially the number of touches Beasley saw per year before he joined the Bills, and given that Beasley has been injured 2 of the last 3 years one can make an argument that perhaps the jump in targets wrote a check Beas' body can't cash.  McKenzie also both can and will block.  Beasley....mmmmm well, let's just say I've never seen him in the backfield with an onrushing LB and if I did, I'd advise Josh to throw it away or run.  McKenzie, Josh glanced over and said "OK, I'm good".

 

There's also the speed thing.  It doesn't help to know exactly what the defense is going to do if you can't get downfield while the window is open, before the CBs react.  And Beasley has never been able to do what McKenzie did against the Pats "he's playing me outside and off, let me run away from him"

 

Where Beasley distinguishes himself is between the ears and very few are close.  Isaiah until proven otherwise, isn't even in the same building.  Wallace called Beasley a "cheat code" for zone coverage and helping him understand how the best receivers read and react to it.  Cole has that ability to watch film and figure out how this particular D is likely to react to different formations and down and distance, and talk it through with Josh to be sure they're on the same page.  That's the ability McKenzie has NOT been shown to have.

 

All that said.....we don't know what Dorsey et al have planned for the offense.  It's entirely possible they would like the offense to depend less upon option routes and secondary route concepts and to make more use of tight ends, on the "always open 2 feet over his head" principle.

[Spiderweb]

31 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Beasley > McKenzie in the slot and it’s not even close.  
 

That being said, I have full confidence Beane knows this and has no intention of heading into preseason with McKenzie as our starting slot WR for the season.  
 

I feel like the whole social media and vax stuff has caused fans to lose sight just how valuable Cole has been to Josh, how many huge third or fourth down conversions Cole made that were vital in a lot of games and wins.  
 

He is one of the best 3rd down WRs in the league.  McKenzie isn’t as good of a route runner, isn’t as tough (people forget how many tough plays Cole makes too), and doesn’t have as good of hands as Cole.  
 

Don’t get me wrong, I love bringing McKenzie back, he’s a weapon, he’s just not on Coles level out of the slot.  
 

So with Cole seemingly done here, my expectation is they will look for a slot guy in FA still, or more likely in the draft…and possibly both.  Josh loves hitting that slot guy on critical 3rd and 4th down plays, they will give him another weapon there before camp begins.  

McKenzie has one advantage over Beasley and that is speed (and one could say, cheaper too).

[Alphadawg7]

3 minutes ago, Boyst62 said:

you speak of the toughness of Beasley and that McKenzie is not as tough. To keep Beasley to have depth at the slot position is going to be important. Slot receivers get banged up more than most. To keep depth at the slot position having both would be a great opportunity.

Stevenson has not showed the potential we wished. I am not even sure he will be returning kicks next year. He, among a few on this roster, is great potential for trade fodder.

Yeah I would prefer Beasley was here this year, but if we believe the reports it sounds like it’s just not in the cards.  And yeah, they can get banged up which is why I am confident Beane isn’t banking on McKenzie as the full time slot WR given he’s pretty small.  Beasley wasn’t big either, but he’s built pretty stout for his size and played physical because of it…plus we always had McKenzie as a backup when he did get banged up. 
 

Assuming the reports are accurate and Cole is as good as gone, then I would be interested to see if someone like Hodgins can ascend from the PS and finally grab an active roster spot as a slot option too.  I wouldn’t say bank on any PS squad guy stepping up, but he’s flashed potential and been stuck behind Cole and McKenzie.