Bills Sign WR Josh Palmer 3-$36M

[MikePJ76]

1 minute ago, BuffaloButt said:

4.52 (40 yard dash time) 

How does he separate, route running! Another possession receiver, we overpaid for this average to below average starter!

 

This is the best we can get?  Come on!!

what is the obsession with the 40 yard time?

 

 

[SirAndrew]

This is the type of signing I’d love in years past. I’ve always assumed Josh Allen would make an average receiver into a superstar, but it hasn’t worked that way yet. After excepting a lot from guys like Samuel, and Copper, I won’t put many expectations on Palmer. Maybe he’ll surprise me. 

[NewEra]

16 minutes ago, Bleeding Bills Blue said:

 

Palmer, Coleman, Shakir, Samuel - 2 spots still open, and i think they do like hollins as a blocker/teams/depth player.  What they do with the final spot I'm not sure, but if i had to guess it's not coming before the 4th or 5th round.  

I’d guess that it’s coming from the 3rd (via trade) 4th or 5th rd.  
 

hoping we grab 2 DL and 1 CB in the first 2 rds unless we can add viable starters in FA.

[Big Blitz]

2 hours ago, Big Blitz said:

If Keon becomes what we hope he will this WR group is suddenly top 5 in the NFL 

 

Keon

Shakir 

Palmer 

Samuel 

 

That's pretty excellent.  

 

Everyone saw the “IF” here, right?

 

Or we just giving up on Keon?  
 

Not me.  

[oldmanfan]

2 minutes ago, BuffaloButt said:

4.52 (40 yard dash time) 

How does he separate, route running! Another possession receiver, we overpaid for this average to below average starter!

 

This is the best we can get?  Come on!!

Show me a FA WR that was better

[Shaw66]

7 minutes ago, Logic said:

Fair enough.

From my perspective, it'd be nice to add a difference maker on offense AND defense. I realize that's easier said than done, of course.

When it came down to crunch time -- by which I mean the AFCCG -- I didn't see any offensive players other than Josh Allen stepping up and elevating the offense. In those "gotta have it" moments, I'm not sure who the no-doubt-about-it go-to playmaker on this team is. There doesn't seem to be one at the present moment.

Case in point: not a single receiver or tight end on the Bills roster had over 1,000 yards last year. And yes, I know, "everybody eats", but...still.

And before anyone says "they set a team record for points scored last year": Yes, I know. But if you asked Sean McDermott or Brandon Beane or Joe Brady, I bet each of them would tell you it's a goal this offseason to improve the offense. It's a new year, and last year is in the past, and there's no guarantee they'll replicate their success.

I still feel the Bills offense is a true WR1 away from being "complete", and I don't think Palmer addresses that issue. He seems to be of the John Brown, Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins ilk, which is to say: a functional NFL receiver that doesn't elevate the Bills offense or scare the opposing defense.

I don't know Palmer, but from what I've read here, it sounds like he's likely to stick and fit in well with the philosophy the Bills ran last season in the passing game. Sounds like he may be an upgrade. 

 

I hear what you're saying about a true difference maker at receiver - I've talked here often about the need for a few difference makers, guys who make plays when you really need them.

 

Actually, I think the Bills have plenty of them, just not stud difference makers.  The reason the offense was so good was precisely because at different times, different guys made a difference. Cook, Johnson, Davis in the backfield, and Cooper, Hollins, Shakir, Coleman all made some big plays (and we're hoping Kicaid will) and the offense scored a lot.  What you mean is a stud guy who seems to make the plays at the biggest moments. The plays we expected Diggs to make, the plays we expected Miller to make. 

 

I'm not so sure that stud guy is so important. I think he absolutely is necessary on defense.  Milano kind of was that guy, but not since his injury.  Miller was supposed to be.  Oliver and Rousseau are solid difference makers, but haven't elevated their game to stud level.  I think the Bills need one of those guys on defense. 

 

But on offense, the passing game is a team concept.  The Bills' approach is to have several guys on the field who challenge you in the passing game, every play. And they keep changing which guys and which combinations are on the field, and they keep tinkering with and evolving scheme, the whole point of which is to create momentary advantages that non-stud difference makers can take advantage of.  If the coaches believe in that approach, if they thing it gives them an edge, then McBeane aren't going to be spending big dollars to get a stud.   That is, in this passing scheme, the added value of a stud may not be worth the cost to get him.  

[NewEra]

2 minutes ago, MikePJ76 said:

what is the obsession with the 40 yard time?

 

 

4.49 would be great though!!

[Joe Marino]

36 minutes ago, Victory Formation said:

$12M/year does seem like a lot of money but keep in mind that the top guys are getting $35M/year plus.

 

It is reasonable to assume that his production will improve with Josh but only time will tell..

 

Safe assumption his production takes a leap with Josh.

 

So, if I'm him I either agree to a 1-year 6M-8M deal with BUF/Josh and then market myself to the league next year as an 18M/year guy,,,, OR I let the Bills sign me to 3yrs at 12 per.

Edited 19 hours ago by Joe Marino

[Alphadawg7]

37 minutes ago, Logic said:

I can recognize and appreciate the "separation and man beating ability" argument, but...

 

Ultimately, we were all saying "if this offense needs one thing, it's another difference maker", and Palmer simply doesn't feel like that. Now...to be fair...there really weren't/aren't many difference makers available in free agency, short of maybe a Davante Adams. But still...

 

League average receivers who can pitch in 400-500 yards and be effective role players are pretty much all we HAD last year, and so far appear to be all we'll have THIS year. Granted, they haven't yet re-signed Cooper or Hollins, so I suppose from a sheer numbers standpoint, they had to do SOMETHING.

 

But...a year after everyone got excited for career long average receiver Curtis Samuel (and even HE had more career production than Josh Palmer), it's hard for me to get too excited for career long average receiver Josh Palmer.

I'm sure he'll play a role. I'm sure he'll have some nice moments. I'm not sure I see how it IMPROVES our offense in a tangible way, though.

 

But that is just it...we don't "need" another difference maker on offense...we badly need one or more on defense as we have none.  Not saying it wouldn't be nice, just saying I wouldn't label it a "need" when we were the 16th best offense all time last year without one.  On offense, we need a guy that do things where we were lacking...Palmer checks those boxes. 

 

Scoring is not, and has not been, our problem...our defense however was amongst the worst in the nfl in both 1st downs allowed and 3rd down stops.  If you want the offense to score more, get them on the field more by having our defense force more punts rather than give up longer sustained drives and scoring drives.  

 

We faced 3 of the best defenses in the AFC last year in our 3 playoff games, including the Ravens who had been the best for more than the 2nd half of the season after moving Hamilton around.  We still got to the AFCCG and put up 29 on a team who failed to break 30 all year...and we did so in a game the refs stole a scoring drive away from us in the 4th, and did it twice on the same series, that flipped the game.  

 

Scoring 29 was not the issue...we gave up 32 to a team that was down 34-0 in the 3rd quarter a game later and had not broken 30 the entire season.

Edited 18 hours ago by Alphadawg7

[transplantbillsfan]

All of the film nuts and football nerds actually really like Palmer.  He was Joe Marino's FA WR target.  Anyone who listens to The Athletic Football Show knows that Robert Mayes really knows his stuff and Palmer was one of his "who's the Zach Baun of 2024 breakout star for 2025."  

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Just now, transplantbillsfan said:

All of the film nuts and football nerds actually really like Palmer.  He was Joe Marino's FA WR target.  Anyone who listens to The Athletic Football Show knows that Robert Mayes really knows his stuff and Palmer was one of his "who's the Zach Baun of 2024 breakout star for 2025."  

Heard this before 

[oldmanfan]

Just now, Pine Barrens Mafia said:

Heard this before 

I recall hearing similar things for Poyer and Hyde.  And McGovern.  

[TheBrownBear]

2 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

Not much happened in San Diego last season.

Lol. I've lived here for 15 years now.  Force of habit I suppose.

[The Wiz]

1 hour ago, Augie said:

 

I can’t open either of those!!!  Can he really separate? Is this refuting that? Not sure what the problem is……

10th best in separation and 5th best in win rate amongst WRs (including the playoffs).

[blacklabel]

Dude grew up just outside Toronto.

 

Seems like the type of WR they like. I bet it's all gonna be all right. 

[T master]

2 hours ago, Process said:

3 years $36M

 

https://x.com/RapSheet/status/1899175549202756006?t=g9zQ6grgDPAVAwgwxrCYqg&s=19

 

WHO ?? 

[LABILLBACKER]

15 minutes ago, SirAndrew said:

This is the type of signing I’d love in years past. I’ve always assumed Josh Allen would make an average receiver into a superstar, but it hasn’t worked that way yet. After excepting a lot from guys like Samuel, and Copper, I won’t put many expectations on Palmer. Maybe he’ll surprise me. 

Exactly....you're not guaranteed instant chemistry.  Cooper & Samuel didn't exactly click right away. Hope I'm wrong about Palmer but his seperation / td ratio doesn't amaze me.

[GETTOTHE50]

16 minutes ago, SirAndrew said:

This is the type of signing I’d love in years past. I’ve always assumed Josh Allen would make an average receiver into a superstar, but it hasn’t worked that way yet. After excepting a lot from guys like Samuel, and Copper, I won’t put many expectations on Palmer. Maybe he’ll surprise me. 

He won’t. 

[Shortchaz]

It’s Groundhog Day, again 

[3rdand12]

16 minutes ago, Joe Marino said:

 

Safe assumption his production takes a leap with Josh.

 

So, if I'm him I either agree to a 1-year 6M-8M deal with BUF/Josh and then market myself to the league next year as an 18M/year guy,,,, OR I let the Bills sign me to 3yrs at 12 per.

I prefer this type of thinking.

Late to the topic

But seems like a great piece of the WR Puzzle. Something we were missing

Now lets get a burner with hands who can play teams