Benford Extended 4 Years - 76 million

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

As much as I wanted a big free agency splash, tying up 4/5 of the draft picks we hit on and locking them in under market rate is a strong long term move.

 

We will see about Cook. If anything, there is the franchise tag

[The Firebaugh Kid]

2 hours ago, Utah John said:

Now, Cook.

Or the unthinkable. If they don’t have plans to resign him after next season might as well get a second round pick for him now. I realize I am aiming high but that’s because I do not want to trade him

[somnus00]

I mentioned this in another thread. Benford reminds me of the Bill's Kyle Williams situation. Buffalo fans can see how great of a player he is, but he flies under the radar for the rest of the NFL. As a result, we sign him to a bargain contract.

 

The numbers show Benford is a top 10 CB.

 

Also, Beane is terrific at signing our own to team friendly deals.

[QLBillsFan]

37 minutes ago, 4th&long said:

Great deal for both sides! 

Absolutely! Funny reading social media responses. As if the Bills wildly overpaid him. Hysterical and then solid football fans who know the value. Great comedy on a Saturday pre elite 8 games !

[Buddy Hix]

Concussion history is a scary factor, but not a lot of choice in locking up one of the better players you have.

[Doc Brown]

11 minutes ago, Draconator said:

It wasn't so much a Cook vs Barkley comparison. It was to counter the post that RB's aren't that important, that they are interchangeable. You have a back like Barkley, you can do some damage. Cook had good games for us. Cook is not in Barkley's league. 

They aren't that important unless they're elite bellcow backs (Barkley, Henry, McCaffrey).  Even then you need a strong foundation to maximize their value.  For example, Barkley averaged 3.9 ypc behind a bad o-line, poor WR weapons, and poor QB play in 2023.  You need to have all those things in place for a RB of his caliber to shine like he did with the Eagles last year.  You saw the same thing in Baltimore with Henry.  

[mannc]

3 hours ago, Utah John said:

Now, Cook.

Not happening 

17 minutes ago, WhitewalkerInPhilly said:

As much as I wanted a big free agency splash, tying up 4/5 of the draft picks we hit on and locking them in under market rate is a strong long term move.

 

We will see about Cook. If anything, there is the franchise tag

I’d rather let him play out his contract, then let him walk and take the comp pick.

[Shaw66]

2 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 

That's more a function of Beane offering all of his good draft picks early extensions. You will always get a player below their theoretical market value if you give them a contract one year before they hit FA. As a strategy it's hit and miss. Sometimes you wind up with an albatross like Knox's contract, but sometimes you end up with a massive steal like Spencer Brown's contract. I lean towards Benford's looking like a massive steal in two years.

I agree, and it's a bit more than that.  It's at the point where it has become the culture. Arguably everyone extended this season could have done better as a free agent in a year.  The guys on their first contract are seeing the guys a couple of years ahead of them taking less than top dollar because they want to stay with this team.  Those younger guys know that what they're working for is to get offered a long-term deal at maybe less than the market, and they want it.  It's an amazing team culture.  

[Shaw66]

1 hour ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

I'm sure that a bond must be part of it.

 

But you're almost always going to get some discount when you sign guys this early. 

 

Players are highly aware of what could happen if they don't sign and get injured in the 4th year. Or have a bad year, or whatever. Getting the big payday and a big hunk of cash early is huge for these guys. 

But it isn't strictly financial.  It's about how good the team is.  The same money to play for a dozen other teams isn't nearly as attractive as getting that money to play with Allen and a perennial playoff team. 

[BlueRed]

23 minutes ago, Buddy Hix said:

Concussion history is a scary factor, but not a lot of choice in locking up one of the better players you have.

As stupid as they look on the TV, I wouldn’t mind the entire Bills team coming out next year wearing those guardian caps. Even if it reduces concussions 1%, it makes sense to take every measure to “protect your assets”. 

[SoonerBillsFan]

1 hour ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

I get that you may well have wanted to be taken with a grain of salt.

 

Just wanted to quickly go through what it'd probably take in draft picks to get from #30 to #12.

 

On the Rich Hill draft pick value chart, #30 is 620 points and #12 is 1200 points. Meaning that to go up that far we'd need another first rounder this year at about the same level. 

 

Or if we could give up both our 2nd rounders this year and that would about do it, though teams moving up usually have to pay a bit extra to do so.

 

Anybody think any other teams are valuing Cook at the value of a late first rounder, or two seconds? I greatly doubt it. Throwing in Cook with #30 might get us up to the late teens, maybe. But maybe not. Any team we trade him to knows they are likely to have trouble signing him at what most would consider a reasonable valuation.

 

 

 

 

It is $15M AAV he talked about.

 

 

Late teens is still ok by me. 

27 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

I agree, and it's a bit more than that.  It's at the point where it has become the culture. Arguably everyone extended this season could have done better as a free agent in a year.  The guys on their first contract are seeing the guys a couple of years ahead of them taking less than top dollar because they want to stay with this team.  Those younger guys know that what they're working for is to get offered a long-term deal at maybe less than the market, and they want it.  It's an amazing team culture.  

Great culture and a chance to win every year.

[nucci]

58 minutes ago, somnus00 said:

I mentioned this in another thread. Benford reminds me of the Bill's Kyle Williams situation. Buffalo fans can see how great of a player he is, but he flies under the radar for the rest of the NFL. As a result, we sign him to a bargain contract.

 

The numbers show Benford is a top 10 CB.

 

Also, Beane is terrific at signing our own to team friendly deals.

the rest of the NFL has GMs, coaches and scouts. They know how good these players are.

[DapperCam]

I was going to be okay with Benford playing out his final year and seeing where he stands then (and possibly franchising him at that point). But this is a good enough price, that I'm cool with it.

[Thrivefourfive]

I think it’s clear what Beane thinks is the path to a ring. And he knows more than us, all things considered. We are talking about going Mach 9 and pushing for Mach 10. Garrett would’ve made that push instantaneous, but now, could Beane have ever given him that kind of money? So we have Beane retaining and adding guys that inch us along Mach 0.1 at a time until we get there, and he’s probably saying- Hey, if any one of you guys wants to be the rocket ship, please, by all means, there’s the field— go get it! 

[QLBillsFan]

1 hour ago, The Firebaugh Kid said:

Or the unthinkable. If they don’t have plans to resign him after next season might as well get a second round pick for him now. I realize I am aiming high but that’s because I do not want to trade him

I don’t think a 2nd is unreasonable. It depends on signing potential. If Bills are offered 10M and he’s firm on 15M you see what teams would part with a  2nd. Las Vegas and Dallas come to mind as well as possibly the Browns and Chargers. If no offers you franchise if needed. But a long hold out type drama is not how the Bills roll. 

[VW82]

Seems reasonable. I was bracing for 4/100M so 4/78M feels like a decent compromise. I still think Benford has to improve at the line, and until he (or someone else) does we don’t really have a true CB1 shutdown corner. 

[3rdand12]

4 hours ago, Einstein said:

I like Benford.

Me like Benford too.

 this looks like wins for everyone.

 He earned. Wasn't he a 5th or sixth round ? Overachiever +10

 

 That's one corner settled

 

 Go Bills !

[Doc Brown]

45 minutes ago, BlueRed said:

As stupid as they look on the TV, I wouldn’t mind the entire Bills team coming out next year wearing those guardian caps. Even if it reduces concussions 1%, it makes sense to take every measure to “protect your assets”. 

A lot of skill position players would pry be opposed to that because they're heavier.  Plus, I don't want to watch a bunch of real life bobbleheads playing football.

[3rdand12]

3 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Ha. I have him 3rd. I'll explain it very gently. And then agree with him. 

A wise man you are.

 Great retort for Simon's lol comment

[Shaw66]

9 minutes ago, VW82 said:

Seems reasonable. I was bracing for 4/100M so 4/78M feels like a decent compromise. I still think Benford has to improve at the line, and until he (or someone else) does we don’t really have a true CB1 shutdown corner. 

The Bills aren't in the market for a true shutdown corner.  That is not the style that the Bills play.  And since they don't particularly want a true shutdown corner, they won't pay the corner they do want at shutdown-corner prices.  It's a very convenient for the Bills that the guys they want on the field are not, at least in the defensive backfield, the guys who establish the market. 

 

I think it's the same thing with Rousseau. The big-name flashy, 15-sack per season edge is usually not the guy the Bills want.  They want a true all-round DE like Rousseau, who can rush the passer and can stop the run. So they get to sign Rousseau for less than big-name, market-setting guys.  

 

Where I have my doubts about this system is that I think sooner or later the Bills are going to a go-to play maker at some position in addition to Allen.  That's not Benford and it's not Rousseau.  With luck, it'll be Bosa for a year or two.