It's easy now to see how good teams have an advantage in free agency

[Shaw66]

All those years we sat here moaning about how the Bills never could sign anyone good in free agency.  Unless the Bills put on a full-court press and spent more money than any other team wanted to spend, the Bills got no one.   All those guys we talked about and hoped for, and Mario Williams was the only one who ever came.  And why did Williams come?   Because the money was the only thing that was important to him. 

 

But when you have an All-star QB and you're going to the playoffs every season, it's different.  A guy like Rodger Saffold, a guy who is facing probably his last opportunity to pick a team while he still has NFL-level ability, looks at Buffalo and says yes, easily.   Why?   Josh Allen.  Mitch Morse.  Aaron Kromer.   Sean McDermott.   It all adds up to a place where he can have success, both personally and possibly in the playoffs.  Could he have gotten more money elsewhere?   Without even seeing the numbers, almost certainly yes.  Some teams are looking to get over the hump and need offensive line help, and some of those have more cap room (probably because they aren't paying their QB over $40 million).  Those teams are like the Bills were ten years ago, and they lose the competition for a lot of guys like Saffold.  

 

Good players late in their careers look at the beating they take playing this game, look at their bank accounts (most of the guys like Saffold are sitting on $10 million or more), and decide that if they're going to continue to take the beating, they'll pass up an extra million dollars to play for a winner.  Landry may very well make a similar decision, wherever he goes.  

[Logic]

No doubt about it.

 

We’ve also seen multiple Bills players over the past couple seasons leave money on the table to re-sign here.

 

If the reports are to be believed, two big time free agents this year reached out to the Bills at the combine to let them know they’d like to play here. That is definitely a first for this organization.

 

As you said, there are a myriad of reasons. I really think, though, that the biggest reason is Josh Allen. Players know heart. They recognize and respect will. They want to play with Josh Allen.

 

Huge deal. Sea change. New era.

[GunnerBill]

So when do we sign a good free agent? 

[Patrick Duffy]

It definitely helps for those impact players willing to take less money for a legit shot at a Championship. 

[Johnny Hammersticks]

Athletes like to win 🤷🏾‍♂️

[Success]

I remember when we offered some lineman from Atlanta significantly more money, and he stayed there anyway.

 

It's better to be one of the "haves."

 

[Patrick Duffy]

Just now, GunnerBill said:

So when do we sign a good free agent? 

Lol, yeah as of right now the bad teams with lots of cap space are getting all the good candy

[GunnerBill]

I mean if we sign Jarvis Landry I will agree being a contender helps.

[davefan66]

Players will largely take large paydays versus go with a proven winner.  Ie: Fatukasi and Scherff leaving bad teams to go to Jax..a perennial 

loser.

 

Would love to see a Jones or some other good player take a discount to join us.  We will see. 

[BruceVilanch]

6 minutes ago, Success said:

I remember when we offered some lineman from Atlanta significantly more money, and he stayed there anyway.

 

It's better to be one of the "haves."

 

Tyson clabo watch!

[Mat68]

Gotta cash in all that clout for a dude on defense now imo.  

[Shaw66]

10 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

So when do we sign a good free agent? 

Beane is not a big-name free agent guy.   He's said it enough that I believe - free agency is to fill holes, the draft is where you build talent.   He isn't about to sign any of the best two or three players in free agency - they aren't hole fillers.  Diggs is the only really big name he has acquired, and he did that through the draft, too.  

 

About four or five years ago, Beane signed about four journeyman offensive linemen, including Feliciano.  I don't remember all the names.  Williams was one, too, I think.  Why did he do that?   Because he needed help on the offensive line, but he couldn't afford the best offensive linemen on the market.  Instead, he loaded the training camp roster with decent guys with experience and hoped he'd find a couple who stuck.  A guy like Saffold - a high draft pick with a really solid career who still can play - wasn't interested.  

 

Now it's different.   Beane wanted a lineman.  Actually, I think he wanted a guard.   He wasn't bottom fishing for a guy who might be able to fill the spot.   He went after, and could sign, a guy who can play at a high level, who will find himself between an experienced center and a good young tackle, whichever side he plays.  

 

My point is that the best players in free agency at a position of need for the Bills are now available to the Bills, and that is something that was much less true when the team didn't have Allen and wasn't winning consistently. 

 

 

[Niagara Dude]

1 minute ago, Shaw66 said:

Beane is not a big-name free agent guy.   He's said it enough that I believe - free agency is to fill holes, the draft is where you build talent.   He isn't about to sign any of the best two or three players in free agency - they aren't hole fillers.  Diggs is the only really big name he has acquired, and he did that through the draft, too.  

 

About four or five years ago, Beane signed about four journeyman offensive linemen, including Feliciano.  I don't remember all the names.  Williams was one, too, I think.  Why did he do that?   Because he needed help on the offensive line, but he couldn't afford the best offensive linemen on the market.  Instead, he loaded the training camp roster with decent guys with experience and hoped he'd find a couple who stuck.  A guy like Saffold - a high draft pick with a really solid career who still can play - wasn't interested.  

 

Now it's different.   Beane wanted a lineman.  Actually, I think he wanted a guard.   He wasn't bottom fishing for a guy who might be able to fill the spot.   He went after, and could sign, a guy who can play at a high level, who will find himself between an experienced center and a good young tackle, whichever side he plays.  

 

My point is that the best players in free agency at a position of need for the Bills are now available to the Bills, and that is something that was much less true when the team didn't have Allen and wasn't winning consistently. 

 

 

 

29 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

All those years we sat here moaning about how the Bills never could sign anyone good in free agency.  Unless the Bills put on a full-court press and spent more money than any other team wanted to spend, the Bills got no one.   All those guys we talked about and hoped for, and Mario Williams was the only one who ever came.  And why did Williams come?   Because the money was the only thing that was important to him. 

 

But when you have an All-star QB and you're going to the playoffs every season, it's different.  A guy like Rodger Saffold, a guy who is facing probably his last opportunity to pick a team while he still has NFL-level ability, looks at Buffalo and says yes, easily.   Why?   Josh Allen.  Mitch Morse.  Aaron Kromer.   Sean McDermott.   It all adds up to a place where he can have success, both personally and possibly in the playoffs.  Could he have gotten more money elsewhere?   Without even seeing the numbers, almost certainly yes.  Some teams are looking to get over the hump and need offensive line help, and some of those have more cap room (probably because they aren't paying their QB over $40 million).  Those teams are like the Bills were ten years ago, and they lose the competition for a lot of guys like Saffold.  

 

Good players late in their careers look at the beating they take playing this game, look at their bank accounts (most of the guys like Saffold are sitting on $10 million or more), and decide that if they're going to continue to take the beating, they'll pass up an extra million dollars to play for a winner.  Landry may very well make a similar decision, wherever he goes.  

As of today we signed a soon to be 34 year old,  rumours and sources talking about how all the top free agents want to sign with the Bills is usually coming from agents of these players looking to drive their price up.

[Shaw66]

11 minutes ago, Mat68 said:

Gotta cash in all that clout for a dude on defense now imo.  

I don't know the draft, but I wouldn't be surprised if Beane trades up in the draft to grab a really attractive young player.  Could be a receiver or offensive lineman, but it could be the kind of defensive guy you're talking about - a stud edge rusher to replace Hughes or Addison, a stud one-tech guy, or a stud defensive back.  

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

31 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

All those years we sat here moaning about how the Bills never could sign anyone good in free agency.  Unless the Bills put on a full-court press and spent more money than any other team wanted to spend, the Bills got no one.   All those guys we talked about and hoped for, and Mario Williams was the only one who ever came.  And why did Williams come?   Because the money was the only thing that was important to him. 

 

But when you have an All-star QB and you're going to the playoffs every season, it's different.  A guy like Rodger Saffold, a guy who is facing probably his last opportunity to pick a team while he still has NFL-level ability, looks at Buffalo and says yes, easily.   Why?   Josh Allen.  Mitch Morse.  Aaron Kromer.   Sean McDermott.   It all adds up to a place where he can have success, both personally and possibly in the playoffs.  Could he have gotten more money elsewhere?   Without even seeing the numbers, almost certainly yes.  Some teams are looking to get over the hump and need offensive line help, and some of those have more cap room (probably because they aren't paying their QB over $40 million).  Those teams are like the Bills were ten years ago, and they lose the competition for a lot of guys like Saffold.  

 

Good players late in their careers look at the beating they take playing this game, look at their bank accounts (most of the guys like Saffold are sitting on $10 million or more), and decide that if they're going to continue to take the beating, they'll pass up an extra million dollars to play for a winner.  Landry may very well make a similar decision, wherever he goes.  

 

Imagine what it would be like if we had a ton of money to spend!

[mushypeaches]

Shaw66, it also goes hand in hand with the positive tradeoffs of being able to re-sign your own draft picks to reasonable deals vs always being in this vicious cycle of never paying up for 2nd contracts but then at the same time over-paying for guys on the free agent market

 

Once we got off that train, we started winning.  Consistently too

 

Yes, it helps to have a top QB, but the whole strategy is self-fulfilling and a key to sustained success

[Shaw66]

1 minute ago, Niagara Dude said:

 

As of today we signed a soon to be 34 year old,  rumours and sources talking about how all the top free agents want to sign with the Bills is usually coming from agents of these players looking to drive their price up.

Ten years ago, Saffold wouldn't have come to Buffalo.  John Brown didn't come to Buffalo - went to Baltimore instead - when the Bills didn't have a QB and came to Buffalo a, s soon as Allen got good.  Emmanuel Sanders came to Buffalo.  Addison did.  

 

These are all good, solid players who help build the team that the Bills can get now, guys they couldn't get before.  

 

As I said to Gunner, Beane's not going after the biggest names in free agency.  That isn't his model.  In free agency, he wants guys who can start now and last a year or two or three.  He doesn't want to go into the draft with holes to fill.  Between fixing Morse's contract and signing Saffold, he no longer has holes in his offensive line.  

 

A 34-year-old offensive linemen isn't old.  Offensive linemen have some of the longest careers of any position in the league.  

5 minutes ago, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said:

 

Imagine what it would be like if we had a ton of money to spend!

Yes, but by definition, if you have a Josh Allen, you don't have a ton of money to spend.  

[Patrick Duffy]

2 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

es, but by definition, if you have a Josh Allen, you don't have a ton of money to spend.

 For the F/A's that are a bit more of an impact type player than others it will come down to if they are serious about wanting to sign with a contender and willing to take a certain ,yet reasonable amount less for a chance at Super Bowl or not.

 

 

[Chandler#81]

46 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

I mean if we sign Jarvis Landry I will agree being a contender helps.

Nothing about him says ‘Process’. I thought you followed the team..🤔

Edited March 14, 2022 by Chandler#81

[Shaw66]

10 minutes ago, Sheneneh Jenkins said:

 For the F/A's that are a bit more of an impact type player than others it will come down to if they are serious about wanting to sign with a contender and willing to take a certain ,yet reasonable amount less for a chance at Super Bowl or not.

 

 

Right.  That's the whole point.  Those guys weren't signing with Buffalo ten years ago, because they were going to the contenders for a little less money.   Now, that's Buffalo.