Matt Araiza signs with Chiefs

[JakeFrommStateFarm]

Andy Reid will turn him into a probowler

[Niagara Dude]

1 hour ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

 

This is just another example of why the Chiefs are kicking everyone's rear including the Bills when he it comes to the salary cap.  That team has at least 30 plus players making 2 million of less and for next season.  The Chiefs have many guys making just above one million and this signing today will be another one.  

 

Terry Pegula needs to start asking questions on why Beane has so many bad contracts and are always having to rework deals. There are guys on this team that I would cut right now,  Harty/Neal/Hines.  

 

Anyone who does not agree then I suggest to look up the Chiefs cap situation on over the cap

[Warriorspikes51]

😡

[QLBillsFan]

Total speculation on my part. My thought is when the Bills grilled him about his involvement in the case , he may have not told them everything. I’m not saying he was guilty but perhaps the Bills got a bit blindsided by some aspects of the case. Otherwise the Bills are just incompetent as he is clearly better than who they have had since. 

[biggerdaddynj]

This has to be a joke.  What’s next?  They going to turn Buffalo Wings into Kansas City Wings.  But, what I really can’t wait for is Araiza “sniffing” around Taylor Swift!!!  😈

 

PS.  I wouldn’t mind them taking former Carolina Panthers’ players (or how about taking Von Miller for Chris Jones 😂).  

Edited February 22 by biggerdaddynj

[Bob Jones]

Just got home from work and just seeing this news now. IMO, it’s just another example/indicator of why the Chiefs have won multiple SBs, and why the Bills are perpetual one (or two) and done in the playoffs every year.

 

After the late season problems that Martin had, MA should have been signed ASAP by the Bills. Beane let us down, again.

[msw2112]

He wasn't coming back to Buffalo and since he was exonerated (more or less), somebody was going to sign him. He has a rare talent. I certainly would have preferred to see him sign with a NFC team that the Bills rarely see rather than an AFC contender who they face almost every year, regular season and playoffs. While a punter's impact might be fairly minimal, it would be a bit of a slap in the face if he boomed a huge punt that "flipped the field" against the Bills in a crucial moment of a big game.

 

It would not have been realistic for the Bills to sign him late last season.  The kid had never taken a snap in a NFL game, other than one in a preseason game, and had never held for field goals in any meaningful football game.  He's also from a warm weather hometown and college, so he'd never played in cold weather.  The risk was way too high, all of the other "distraction" stuff aside.  I do think that he will eventually get all of that experience and be a very good NFL punter.

Edited February 22 by msw2112

[GunnerBill]

37 minutes ago, Doc said:

 

That's because he was a RFA and they had ROFR.

 

 

Another piece of the puzzle.

 

Yea I think Townsend wants the highest punting contract on the market. I think Araiza will start there. But he is a downgrade on Townsend. My issue with Araiza was always his hang time was a problem despite his leg.

[st pete gogolak]

1 hour ago, Beach said:

i blame all of you with the pitchforks before we could hear any real evidence 

There was ZERO chance Bills were doing anything other than cutting him once the allegations were made.  Remember the allegations?  Having non consensual sex with a minor?  
 

Remember the Bills were consensus favorites to win the Super Bowl going into that year.  There was again zero chance of keeping him on the roster and have the daily distractions stemming from having an accused rapist on the team.  
 

Was it fair? Of course not.  Is it insane that he signed with our arch rival?  Of course it is.  But it’s the Bills. Another brick in the wall.

[BillsFanSD]

8 minutes ago, st pete gogolak said:

There was ZERO chance Bills were doing anything other than cutting him once the allegations were made.  Remember the allegations?  Having non consensual sex with a minor?  
 

Remember the Bills were consensus favorites to win the Super Bowl going into that year.  There was again zero chance of keeping him on the roster and have the daily distractions stemming from having an accused rapist on the team.  
 

Was it fair? Of course not.  Is it insane that he signed with our arch rival?  Of course it is.  But it’s the Bills. Another brick in the wall.

Araiza had a consensual sex with a 17 year old.  That would have been perfectly legal in NY and many other US states.  It was technically illegal in CA, but of course he wasn't charged with anything in relation to that because nobody prosecutes stuff like that.

[Doc Brown]

38 minutes ago, BillsDiehard said:

I didn't know why we didn't sign him instead of Haack...we could've then signed him to a futures contract. 

Because Araiza never punted in an NFL regular season game and you'd be asking him to make his first start in a playoff game.

[Billsfan777]

Good for him there was no way in hell he  would want come back to this hypocritical organization after all the buffalobills had him guilty before any evidence came out yet they still have a woman abuser on the roster aka von miller 

[st pete gogolak]

1 minute ago, BillsFanSD said:

Araiza had a consensual sex with a 17 year old.  That would have been perfectly legal in NY and many other US states.  It was technically illegal in CA, but of course he wasn't charged with anything in relation to that because nobody prosecutes stuff like that.

Tried to do this from memory. If it was consensual, what theory was her attorney pushing?  Was she drunk?  In any event, a 22 year old having sex with a 17 year old isn’t a great look.  I’ll repeat.  No way the Bills were going to do anything other than cut him after the allegations came out.

[BeastMaster]

Bills basically gave KC a free draft pick

 

This after handing them Mahomes

[Doc Brown]

Just now, Billsfan777 said:

Good for him there was no way in hell he  would want come back to this hypocritical organization after all the buffalobills had him guilty before any evidence came out yet they still have a woman abuser on the roster aka von miller 

Yes.  The Von Miller and Matt Araiza situations were exactly the same.  Brilliant stuff here as usual.

[BillsFanForever19]

31 minutes ago, st pete gogolak said:

There was ZERO chance Bills were doing anything other than cutting him once the allegations were made.  Remember the allegations?  Having non consensual sex with a minor?  
 

Remember the Bills were consensus favorites to win the Super Bowl going into that year.  There was again zero chance of keeping him on the roster and have the daily distractions stemming from having an accused rapist on the team.  
 

Was it fair? Of course not.  Is it insane that he signed with our arch rival?  Of course it is.  But it’s the Bills. Another brick in the wall.

 

I'll take it a step further - there isn't a team in the NFL that wouldn't have done the same. You can be mad about it and say "nuh uh - it would have been just us because we're dumb", but I supremely doubt it.

 

It was terrible timing and a terrible situation. Since it happened before he entered the league, the option to put him on an exempt list didn't exist. We would have had to use a 53 man roster spot on a guy who wasn't here and another spot for another Punter for two straight seasons, if we wanted to wait everything out. All the while it being a media distraction hanging over our heads for all that time.

 

NO team in the league would have done that. And it was far from just us who had pitchforks out. It was a national story picked up by even non-Sports outlets. Every NFL fanbase and every media outlet had the same "pitchforks" out.

 

Is it unfortunate it played out as it did and KC reaps the possible rewards? Yes. But this idea that we should have waited it out and never let him go - isn't really a reality. Whoever drafted him if it wasn't us, would have had the same thing happen in their house and would have done the same thing.

Edited February 22 by BillsFanForever19

[Billsatlastin2018]

Once again, Bean Boy is left holding his wand!

 

At the Punter injury time, the Bills shoulda grabbed him for some weak WNY Beer & a $50 Timmie’s card!

 

As many of us here… advised.

[BillsFanSD]

1 minute ago, st pete gogolak said:

Tried to do this from memory. If it was consensual, what theory was her attorney pushing?  Was she drunk?  In any event, a 22 year old having sex with a 17 year old isn’t a great look.  I’ll repeat.  No way the Bills were going to do anything other than cut him after the allegations came out.

"Not a good look" is never a reason to get the pitchforks out.  Come on now.

[st pete gogolak]

1 minute ago, BillsFanSD said:

"Not a good look" is never a reason to get the pitchforks out.  Come on now.

Please see post from BillsFanForever19 above.  Couldn’t put it any better than that.  I’ll say it for the third time.  There was ZERO chance Bills were keeping Azaria after the allegations came out.  And I say that as someone who was very disappointed that it turned out that way.  What was the one preseason punt?  82 yards?  Kid could have been a valuable weapon for us but it was not to be, cherie.  

[Doc Brown]

20 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Yea I think Townsend wants the highest punting contract on the market. I think Araiza will start there. But he is a downgrade on Townsend. My issue with Araiza was always his hang time was a problem despite his leg.

Which is pry why he was the third punter drafted in that class.  If you have faith in your punt coverage and want the maximum potential to flip the field he's your guy.  Definitely more risky to give up the big returns though.