WickedGame

He also had a cap hit that’s $7m/year higher, and he’ll be 30 years old in June. I’ll concede I’m not an expert on the compensation, but I imagine it won’t come cheap to get the Bears to part with their #1 receiver from a year ago — a guy who had 950 more yards than their next closest WR.

We don’t have a 3rd.

My long-shot prediction: Bills trade for DJ Moore. Cost is pick #28 and a mix of later/future picks. Maybe a player (Spencer Brown?) Bills get a proven WR to replace Diggs at a modest $16M cap number for the next two years. Maybe they extend him two years, since he just turned 27 last week. The Bills avoid a roll of the dice on a receiver at 28. They also potentially keep their #2 pick in the deal. If Brown is part of the package they get an RT in the second to compete with Lael Collins. Then we get a WR in the 4th and everything else is depth. The Bears, who have only a few picks, stockpile picks and use #28 to nab the 5th or 6th best WR to be their new #2 WR alongside Odunze or Nabers. Brown would also fill a need for them. They end up with two cost-controlled receivers on 5-year rookie deals to go with their cost-controlled QB, freeing them up for big swings in free agency in 2025. Feasible?

Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State - Cardinals Rome Odunze, Washington - Bills Ladd McConkey, Georgia - Panthers Brian Thomas Jr., LSU - Bengals Xavier Worthy Texas- Chiefs Bonus Bills pick - Odunze

I hate when people say this. It’s reductive. There’s a massive difference between paying big money to a 30-year-old Stefon Diggs who underperformed and paying big money to a 26-year-old Aiyuk who has improved every year and is easily in his prime. I’m not saying the $25m-$30m/year would be easy to swallow, but let’s not pretend Diggs’ salary and value is an apples-to-apples comparison with Aiyuk at a similar salary. Nobody wants a car payment after you’ve just finished paying off your car, but I’d rather have a new Maserati than a used Mercedes.

I’d trade this year’s #2, #4, and a #6 for him. It’ll take more than just a 2nd rounder for SF to part ways…they just witnessed what Diggs traded for, and they know whoever trades for Aiyuk is doing a long-term deal and getting years of production out of him. Then I can package my #1 with whatever I need to from this year’s remaining picks or next year’s picks to move up a few spots (if needed) for another WR. That gives me two studs for the next few years after I extend Aiyuk (structure it so the cap hit starts next year). Whatever picks I have left this year give me depth, and next year I still have capital to get an Edge or whatever else becomes our top need.

Would you say it’s better to have a big Johnson or to get the Clapp?

Fixed it for ya:

I don’t dislike Legette, but I have some concerns. Body type, downfield, contested catches, etc. are intriguing. But limited career production and some inconsistency/drops. I’d like him more as a 2nd rounder.

Agree with these points. Although I’ll add that I don’t want my #2 WR receiver to be purely a straight-line-speed/go routes guy. I want him to be a separator. With hands, ideally. Someone who can run a full route tree…maybe even some of those deep middle routes you mentioned. A unicorn, I know, but it got to where Gave was only useful on a deep go. Splashy? Sure. But give me a guy who requires a DB to make decisions. Ideally, poor decisions.

The need for a #2 is less about catching the balls that currently go to Kincaid, Shakir, Cook, etc., and more about having a dangerous enough weapon opposite Diggs to prevent defenses from focusing so heavily on him. If a #2 receiver reduces the production of Kincaid and Shakir, I don’t care as long as it INCREASES the production of Diggs. I I’m not saying I need 1,700 yards from Diggs — I’m saying I need a set of weapons so stacked that somebody on the defense is seriously compromised.

Hurt in a sacrifice to The Pit? Call Cellino & Barnes injury attorneys. Don’t wait, call 8.

Complaining about “the media” has got to be the most tired, most cliche way to rant on a soapbox. Why do people so desperately need a boogeyman in their lives?

Control the supply, dictate the price.

Yeah, don’t ya hate when people overreact?

So, just another Look At Me Post?

I’m just grateful we don’t have that schmo who does color commentary for the Bengals. I listened to a Bengals broadcast during a long drive home…possibly the worst radio broadcaster I’ve heard in my life. Bungled calls, relentless cliches, dated references…just brutal to hear. Nice guy, but sounded like an old-timer who should have been put out to pasture a decade or more ago.

Last I saw police hadn’t released the identity. Have we confirmed the legitimacy of this GoFundMe page?

Nothing on this schedule scares me. We’re not going 17-0. Nor does this look like a schedule that leaves us 9-8. Every game on this list is winnable.

Y’all realize we wouldn’t play Miami if they beat the Chiefs, right? The lowest remaining see plays the highest remaining seed, so the Bills would play the winner of the 4/5 if we beat the Steelers, while the #6 Dolphins would play the Ravens. I want the Chiefs. In Buffalo.

But were there any deers? He’s a free agent, right? As long as the cap hit isn’t too high…git ‘er done, Beane!

Man, I love being a Bills fan, but y’all sure know how to get in the Christmas spirit.

Here’s a thought: Go outside. Take a walk. Visit a museum. Call an old friend. Volunteer. Help a stranger. Daydream. #1 - Perspective. It’s a football game. I love the Bills, too, but there’s more to life. Don’t let missing a sporty ball game ruin your week. #2 - This feels like an easy fix. Spend a few bucks. If the game is available on Peacock, pay $6. If you can watch a game every Sunday for decades, you can afford $6. If it’s not available because of some weird TV issue, drive somewhere it IS available. A bar. Another city. Whatever. If you care that much (and again…perspective), then prove it and drive three hours to watch it in another market. Don’t rant about the lengths to which you’ve gone to keep the streak alive and then tell me you can’t make a road trip with a buddy. #3 - Rage against a different machine. The world is full of problems in need of fixing and people who are hurting. You wanna stand for something? Stand your ground on something that matters. Help make the world a better place. If your moral line in the sand is “The NFL and the cable company screwed me out of my god-given right to free sports,” you’re not holding a moral compass…you’re just throwing a tantrum. You wanna fight for the little guy? Fight for the guy who doesn’t complain about apps because a phone is a luxury he can’t afford. Fight for the guy who wakes up at 4am to take the crosstown bus to work so he can give his kids a better life, not the guy who wakes up at 4am to watch a football game. Fight for someone who’s medicine is too expensive, no someone who’s entertainment is too expensive. Don’t worry: If you miss the game, we’ll have another one next week. I’ve talked to the league about this and they’ve assured me we’ll have at least one more chance to see the Bills play this year.

There is a scenario where if the Bills beat Miami, they win the division and if they lose, they miss the playoffs altogether. Which is to say the “percentage” chance to make the playoffs means virtually nothing. I don’t want to be in a scenario where we’re 64% to make the playoffs and 50% to win the division, but lose the game and it drops to 0%. Just. Beat. Dallas.