Is it time to think massive long term extension for Christian Benford?

[Chandler#81]

12 hours ago, mushypeaches said:

 

I think that we're probably going to pay Benford vs paying for a top $$ WR

Shakir is going to get his 2nd contract too - but just not for the crazy top of market $$ that these #1 WR's are getting these days

 

You may be on to something here.. BIG! What a shift it would be if receiver by committee becomes a ‘thing’. It definitely requires an established QB with great mechanics. If you have that -and many teams do- it diminishes the need & the $$ for high end WR.

[The Helmet of]

8 hours ago, Beast said:

Draft and develop. Benford is great but so have the Bills been when it comes to developing CB’s. I think that kid is great but is it money well spent? Maybe it is when you consider Douglas is 30.

 

Tough call.

I’m not against paying him fair market value. But it’s also true that McDermott has proven over the years he can develop CBs and LBs to play at a high level consistently.
 

If Beane/ McD are able to draft and develop another rookie for cheaper then do it.
 

It will also depend on CB’s attitude. Is he like Chase in Cincinnati who is demanding one cent more than Justin Jefferson, or is he willing to settle for top ten money?

 

Also, Josh is due for more money since guys like Kyler Murray, Tua, and T Lawrence inexplicably earn higher salaries. I’m glad he’s cool

with that, but a future MVP, Super Bowl winning QB is going to be super damn expensive.

Edited September 26 by The Helmet of

[Chandler#81]

7 hours ago, Logic said:

Rousseau and Benford both need to be extended. They look like two of our top five defenders for this new era of Buffalo Bills football.

I was thinking just today about how excited I am about the Bills' young offensive and defensive cores going forward:

Rousseau, Oliver, Carter, Epenesa, Solomon, Bernard, Williams, Benford, Bishop on defense.

Josh, Dion, McGovern, Torrence, Brown, Shakir, Kincaid, Coleman, Cook, Davis on offense.

And to think, the Bills took their cap medicine THIS year, and enter 2025 with not only these exciting groups of players on both sides, but also 10 draft picks and a healthy cap situation.

The present and future are both very, very bright. The window is WIDE OPEN.

I completely agree. The elephant in the room is that while Beane’s scouting group gets poached every year, he’s become a Draft God. I know many here disagree and steadfastly bash him, but the proof is in the pudding. He, combined with Sean’s Defensive scheme and expertise are quickly becoming the envy of the League.

Get on board, naysayers.

Their premise of build from the inside out is more important than flashy new toys outside.

[colin]

i think like spencer brown, he'll get top 10 money or there abouts.  based on the cap jumping all the time and his level of play, if he stays healthy it will be a decent value contract for the team.

 

he's a pretty outstanding corner, somewhat similar to tre he does lack top end speed and athletic ability tho.  i also think he's less scheme diverse than someone like jalen ramsey.

[SoonerBillsFan]

No.

[The Jokeman]

5 hours ago, Magox said:

Im guessing he will be signed to a deal somewhere around $22M a year and he’s totally worth it

As much as I would like to keep Rasul, he’s most likely a cap casualty.

 

We still have Rousseau, Benford, Bernard and Cook to consider to re-sign.

Rasul contract up after this season, if anything he'll just leave for greener pastures. 

[Negan]

Benford Tools 🔨 🔥 

[Logic]

5 hours ago, Chandler#81 said:

I completely agree. The elephant in the room is that while Beane’s scouting group gets poached every year, he’s become a Draft God. I know many here disagree and steadfastly bash him, but the proof is in the pudding. He, combined with Sean’s Defensive scheme and expertise are quickly becoming the envy of the League.

Get on board, naysayers.

Their premise of build from the inside out is more important than flashy new toys outside.

I'll say this, too: Organizational stability and a GM and HC that work well together are a huge part of this, too.

Other teams draft good players, but when there's turnover at HC, the new guy coming in often wants different types of players or scheme fits than the last guy wanted. So even if a player that the GM drafted is a good one, he's maybe not a fit for what the new coach wants to do, so they have to start from scratch, put square pegs in round holes, etc.

The fact that Beane and McDermott have been able to work together for so long has allowed Beane to know exactly the type of players McDermott wants. And the fact that McDermott has job security means those players have a chance to thrive, grow, and play well when their number is called.

We should not take our organizational stability for granted. It's a very rare thing in the modern NFL. You could probably count on one hand (and still have fingers left over) the amount of organizations as stable and consistent as ours, from ownership to GM to HC. It's awesome.

[RoscoeParrish]

6 hours ago, Chandler#81 said:

You may be on to something here.. BIG! What a shift it would be if receiver by committee becomes a ‘thing’. It definitely requires an established QB with great mechanics. If you have that -and many teams do- it diminishes the need & the $$ for high end WR.

I don’t know if receiver by committee will be a thing, but I do know the FA market is due for a slight course correction. 
 

CB was kind of similar in the past. 
 

Josh Norman was the highest paid CB in the league in 2017. He was making $16M AAV. CB’s were exploding in price tags. The Bills as we all remember, let Gilmore walk and he was making $13M as the second highest. 
 

Notably, at the same time, Hopkins was the highest paid WR, also making $16M AAV. 
 

Today, there are FIVE WR’s making almost DOUBLE Hopkins’ AAV ($30M). There are 27 WR’s making more than his contract. 
 

Contrast that to CB, whose market has cooled considerably. Norman’s record breaking contract would be ranked 12th among CB’s today. There are two active contracts $8M more than Norman’s and the rest are only 4-5M more.
 

Rules favor offense, so I don’t believe that the gap between CB and WR contracts will ever equal out again, but I also believe that teams collectively will realize the market has gone too far.

[SCBills]

Given the drafting ability of Beane and scheme/development of McDermott.. there’s some tough extension candidates coming up.

 

If Allen thrives in a receiver by committee approach - given how NFL ready a lot of receivers are coming out of college, you can almost treat it like RB where you just keep drafting guys to keep the cupboard stocked.  
 

McDermott is elite at secondary coaching and scheme.  I think we can add linebacker to that list as well. 
 

Given those strengths, I think Rousseau has to be the #1 extension target, because top tier DL/OL are hard to find & they look to be the engine of this new chapter of the Buffalo Bills, along with Josh Allen. 
 

Benford & Shakir, I’d probably be willing to offer early extension, fair market but still team friendly contracts in the same range for their positions as Oliver & Brown (and I think we will get those done).  Cook, given his receiving ability, warrants a second contract look as well, but it’s definitely further down the list.

 

Bottom Line, long season, but early returns tell me this FO should spend big money & draft assets year after year on the lines and then use day two/day three picks & mid-tier FA’s everywhere else .. especially given Kincaid looks to be a ten year fixture on this team at Tight End, who will only get better. 

[Udubalum07]

I think they will pay Benford. Let Douglas get a decent contact elsewhere, although he has been really good.  Go with Elam and Benford a year, as they let an early pick CB learn for a year.

 

Then have a rookie contract paired with Benford during his extension years. 

[damj]

20 hours ago, teef said:

i'll give you a massive extension...

Centimeters and inches aren't the same thing

[dollars 2 donuts]

 

I haven't read through the thread and my comment is going to be a little different.

 

First, of course you sign him, no question.  

 

However, the real question is are you going to keep Douglas through to the end of the season because he is so good or do you get some value for him before you have to let him go, because to be clear, you are not going to be able to sign both.  You just won't and especially with Rousseau on the table, as well.

 

In short...and I am committing sacrilege...do you consider offers for Douglas at the trade deadline* (* As long as you have someone you are confident can step in) or do you ride or die for the Super Bowl knowing you won't get anything when he goes?

 

Go Bills!

 

 

[BullBuchanan]

11 hours ago, Magox said:

You also thought paying Spencer Brown was a bad idea.

Thought? I still think it's still a bad idea, and always will . I never like paying a guy as a top player hoping he'll turn into one. If I'm going to spend that money, I want a sure thing. Even if he becomes the best RT in the league, I'll still hate the decision.

You're the one advocating paying a player 20x what he currently makes. If this team doesn't end up being good enough to win a Super Bowl with the talent currently on roster, you want to cull $20M worth of players and think we'll be in a better position? That's a hard pass from me.

We are currently spending 11.9M this year in cap on

Douglas
Benford
Ingram
Hamlin

Rapp
Bishop
Lewis

Johnson by himself is 8.5M (5th highest on the team)
Elam at 3.7M(9th Highest) and Edwards at 2.8M(17th Highest) are currently dead weight that are more than 50% of the cap we're spending on everyone who's currently playing.

I think doubling our starting budget on Benford would be bananas. I have complete confidence McD could replace him for less than the money spent on Elam, Edwards and Benford's current deal when the time comes. As it stands, you have him through next season. add 3-4 young DBs tot he roster between now and 2026 and you'll be fine.

[Buffalo716]

23 hours ago, HappyDays said:

I'm not sure he'll be quite as expensive as people think because he is still purely a zone corner IMO. Teams don't value that as much. But he's a perfect fit for our defense so I would absolutely pay him a market value long term extension as soon as the season ends.

 

I heard today he has a 14.6 passer rating on throws against his coverage this year. As a point of reference, Nate Peterman's passer rating in that one game (you know the one) was 17.9.

The Bills play a lot of cover one man on third down especially over last 2 years 

Edited September 26 by Buffalo716

[Buffalo716]

4 hours ago, dollars 2 donuts said:

 

I haven't read through the thread and my comment is going to be a little different.

 

First, of course you sign him, no question.  

 

However, the real question is are you going to keep Douglas through to the end of the season because he is so good or do you get some value for him before you have to let him go, because to be clear, you are not going to be able to sign both.  You just won't and especially with Rousseau on the table, as well.

 

In short...and I am committing sacrilege...do you consider offers for Douglas at the trade deadline* (* As long as you have someone you are confident can step in) or do you ride or die for the Super Bowl knowing you won't get anything when he goes?

 

Go Bills!

 

 

No, Douglas is 30 

 

If he doesn't want a team friendly deal which is fine.. you only get one chance to chase the bag 

 

You let him walk and receive a compensation pic after the season is over 

 

We have two cornerbacks playing at literally a top 10 level.. you can't discard one of those just for the sake of he won't be back next year

[Snappysnackcakes]

On 9/25/2024 at 2:47 PM, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Next step for Benford is stay available. Has basically missed every playoff game the last 2 years. Played 13 snaps last year before exiting.

Bingo

[JakeFrommStateFarm]

I would be hesitant to pay a zone corner alot of money 

[machine gun kelly]

I’m guessing we’ll either do mid season or at the end of season. We’d have to backload it so the hit would start next year as well have the $ to do it.  I agree it’s a good idea as he’s worth a solid contract.  The earlier we make the commitment, we could probably get a better rate so there is an argument to do it now if more of a discount than after the season, but again it has to be loaded for a start next year.

 

Im good with that one.

[Scott7975]

 

Get er done Beane