I’d like to see the Bills bring back Shaq Lawson and pay him fairly.

[ddaryl]

Shaq is solid depth, and the fact that he has not been signed by anyone already pretty much says he isn't getting much if any pay raise to play in Buffalo if the Bills do decide to resign him

[That's No Moon]

He's a JAG and will get a one year JAG deal.

[Momma Pecoraro]

Bring back Ichabod!

[RyanC883]

13 hours ago, BillsFan130 said:

Nothing against Shaq as he played solid, but if we bring him back we are literally running it back with the same D line as last year that wasn’t good enough in the first place.

 

Add on Von coming off of an acl tear.

 

 

 

fair point.  But who else is out there at this time?  Right now we have a worse DL than last year because we are missing a key rotational player.  Not sure we will draft one better because we need to focus on OL, WR, LB, S.  

[Einstein's Dog]

13 hours ago, BillsFan130 said:

Nothing against Shaq as he played solid, but if we bring him back we are literally running it back with the same D line as last year that wasn’t good enough in the first place.

 

Add on Von coming off of an acl tear.

 

But last year, when healthy, the DL line was a strength.  At the beginning of the season, the front 4 was a force and a big reason we were Superbowl favorites.  If we could run back that unit, I'd take it all day.  Unfortunately, Shaq is one who with age isn't likely to get much better.

 

The DL has been a heavily invested unit for the Bills, don't expect a large investment monetarily at this time.

 

For the semi-long term, the FO may consider bringing in a draft pick for youth in the unit.  If they get a quality prospect, Shaq may not be needed.

[Straight Hucklebuck]

Well its week 3 now of FA and everyone is down to 1-year contracts, so his price his low. 

 

No other teams have jumped on him, so the market has spoken.

[Straight Hucklebuck]

The Bills will sign Lawson most likely, use #27 on a MLB, and essentially run this back with the same team. 

 

I don't understand why the Bills wouldn't sign Lawson at this point. 

 

 

 

[Beck Water]

17 hours ago, Tipster19 said:

He was a great soldier last year when we needed defensive help the most. He wants to be here and it would help keep continuity on the DL imo. I’m surprise this hasn’t happened yet, it looks like the money is the issue right now but with a little bit of effort this should get done fairly easily. A 1 year contract like Jordan Phillips’, would make the most sense at this time, you know with the salary restrictions that the Bills are currently facing. I’d also like to see this thread become a petition to help make this cause happen but if anybody disagrees then I’d like to know the reason(s) why, everybody has a right to their opinion so please let’s hear the pros and cons. Bring back Shaq!

 

Why is it "fair" to pay Shaq like he's Jordan Phillips?

 

After leaving the Bills and taking the big money in Miami, Lawson played himself off three different teams: Miami traded him to Houston, who traded him to the Jets, the Jets cut him before their final game of the season.   I don't know the story there, but there has to be one.

 

The bottom line is he didn't have a market last off season which is why he signed with the Bills for pretty close to vet minimum. 

 

Phillips, on the other hand and despite what some folks say here, must have a market, which is why the Bills paid him more last season and signed him earlier in the process this season.   If his contract actually counts as $4.6M, he'd be the #10 FA DT signed this season. If his contract actually counts as $3M, he's #14. (For some reason he's listed as a DE, where he's #15)  If he was healthy and had a history of staying healthier during the season, he might get more but he isn't and he doesn't. 

 

Same thing with Lawson: if he didn't have his history of doing whatever he did that made teams move on from him, he would get more, but he does have that history.

 

My guess is that the Bills have a similar offer out to Shaq as they offered him last season, and he's waiting to sign it because he wants more, but so far no one is offering.

 

You say you want to know the reasons, but I'd like to know the reasons why the Bills should give Shaq Lawson a Jordan Phillips size contract because he wants more?

You also mention "keeping continuity on DL", but if the DL wasn't good enough last season, how can we improve it by keeping continuity?  You can't improve things by keeping them the same!!!!

 

[gonzo1105]

The Bills can do better than him. I'm not against the idea of bringing him back but I'm not paying him beyond a 1 year deal which is probably what he wants is a multi year deal. 

[Jay_Fixit]

13 hours ago, JakeFrommStateFarm said:

Strange poyer was signed before Lawson 

Because Poyer is good. Lawson is not.

[BillsFan130]

1 hour ago, RyanC883 said:

 

fair point.  But who else is out there at this time?  Right now we have a worse DL than last year because we are missing a key rotational player.  Not sure we will draft one better because we need to focus on OL, WR, LB, S.  

for sure, I get it.

 

I guess my frustration is more signing Phillips back and Boogie and AJ being disappointing.

 

I have nothing against Shaq and he’s fine as your DE 5. (But plays as their 3rd)

[BarleyNY]

21 hours ago, BillsFan130 said:

for sure, I get it.

 

I guess my frustration is more signing Phillips back and Boogie and AJ being disappointing.

 

I have nothing against Shaq and he’s fine as your DE 5. (But plays as their 3rd)

 

That’s fair. I do think they should re-sign Shaq if he’ll take vet min with a VSB kicker. (Veteran Signing Benefit, which does not count against the salary cap.)

 

The Bills typically roster 5 DEs for the season. Right now they have Miller, Rousseau, Basham, Epenesa and some guys who probably won’t make the 53. With Miller unlikely (or at least uncertain) to play at the start of the season we need depth that can get on the field week 1.

 

I am happy to see a draft pick and/or another vet added. Even with both there’d be room for Lawson early in the season. Upon Miller’s return - and if there hasn’t been an injury to the unit - we can cut the weakest depth player. 

Edited April 4, 2023 by BarleyNY

[McDeerInTheHeadlights]

Nothing personal against Lawson, but if you were to re-sign him, considering that you can only have so many active DEs and the rest of the D is essentially the same minus Edmunds, where would the upgrade to the pass rush be coming from? McD defensive genius alone?

[billsfan89]

The Bills need another body at DE and could do worse than bringing back Shaq on a one year deal. I think likely that will happen they already brought back Phillips so I think it is just a matter of time.

[ColoradoBills]

21 hours ago, CaptnCoke11 said:

He’ll get same contract he got last year if not less.  If he wants more no thanks 

 

His cap hit was $1.045M last year.  It doesn't go lower than minimum.

 

Shaq had 3.5 sacks on 9 QB hits, a forced fumble, 6 tackles for losses and a defended pass.  He outplayed his money with his 44% snap count.

[Plano]

I agree to an extent. 

 

Definitely a 1 or 2 year deal, incentivized.

 

He has some fire, it all depends on the deal. 

[Simon Says]

'Fair" is subjective and ultimately, up to the player. If he thinks an offer is fair, he signs it...

[dpberr]

You get the best out of some football players on 1-year contracts.  Shaq Lawson (and Jordan Phillips) are examples of such players.  Each had their career year in a contract year, with a lot of average around those years.

 

 

[RochesterLifer]

The market determines what is fair pay for Shaq. If the market decides he is worth more, he'll go else where. He hasn't yet, which tells us he was paid fairly.

[DapperCam]

11 hours ago, Beck Water said:

 

Why is it "fair" to pay Shaq like he's Jordan Phillips?

 

After leaving the Bills and taking the big money in Miami, Lawson played himself off three different teams: Miami traded him to Houston, who traded him to the Jets, the Jets cut him before their final game of the season.   I don't know the story there, but there has to be one.

 

The bottom line is he didn't have a market last off season which is why he signed with the Bills for pretty close to vet minimum. 

 

Phillips, on the other hand and despite what some folks say here, must have a market, which is why the Bills paid him more last season and signed him earlier in the process this season.   If his contract actually counts as $4.6M, he'd be the #10 FA DT signed this season. If his contract actually counts as $3M, he's #14. (For some reason he's listed as a DE, where he's #15)  If he was healthy and had a history of staying healthier during the season, he might get more but he isn't and he doesn't. 

 

Same thing with Lawson: if he didn't have his history of doing whatever he did that made teams move on from him, he would get more, but he does have that history.

 

My guess is that the Bills have a similar offer out to Shaq as they offered him last season, and he's waiting to sign it because he wants more, but so far no one is offering.

 

You say you want to know the reasons, but I'd like to know the reasons why the Bills should give Shaq Lawson a Jordan Phillips size contract because he wants more?

You also mention "keeping continuity on DL", but if the DL wasn't good enough last season, how can we improve it by keeping continuity?  You can't improve things by keeping them the same!!!!

 

Lawson bouncing around the league was more about cost than him not being good enough to play. Jets fans said he was okay, but not worth his contract. He’d be getting a minimal contract for a vet rotational player, so it’s a totally different situation. McBeane will probably only bring him back if they don’t like the youth on the team to plug his spot.