mjt328

Getting either Matt Paradis or Mitch Morse are my #1 goals in Free Agency. They are the only two centers that would be considered upgrades. If we don't get either, center becomes a HUGE need in the draft. We don't want to go into the draft with more huge needs. I already think the wide receivers available in free agency are crap. So that makes WR a HUGE need in the draft.

When a premium WR is the only thing standing between you and being a legitimate Super Bowl contender. We currently need a WR, TE, OT, OG and C. We could also use a DT to replace Kyle Williams, and possibly some help with the pass rush. By next year, we will probably be needing a new RB and SLB. There is no way we can trade 2 first rounders (this was the trade presented by the OP) and nearly $20 million per year in cap space... and still have the ability to fill all these holes in the roster. I just don't see it. It's not just the money alone. It's the cap space AND the draft picks. Smart teams build through the draft. This move would drastically hinder our ability to do that. Julio Jones is a great player. But he doesn't turn this team into a Super Bowl contender by himself. Making a move for him would hurt us in other places. If not the O-Line, then with our pass rush, or with the ability to acquire other weapons. To build this team for long-term/sustained success, we need to keep drafting well. Each and every year. This helps limit the holes in your starting lineup. This helps build depth in case of injuries. This protects us when Free Agents eventually leave. Blowing multiple key picks on ONE GUY (unless we are talking QB) is just not smart. Unless you are one player away, and only care about short-term success.

This is my perspective. As a GM, you only have so many resources each year to upgrade your team. Barring a trade, you only have three premium draft picks (Rounds 1-3). After that, pretty much everyone you pick is a long-shot for success. You only have so much cap space, and most good starters are going to run at least $8-10 million. After that, you are hoping to get production out of someone else's castoffs. Julio Jones would likely cost two premium draft picks and would then need a contract of roughly $18-20 million per season. In terms of resources - that's the equivalent of roughly four good starters. There is a time and place where this kind of move makes sense. The Bills are not there yet. The Bills are in Year 2-3 of their rebuild project, depending on whether you count the hiring of McDermott or the hiring of Beane as the starting point. They go into this offseason with anywhere from 5 to 8 significant holes on the roster. If we play our cards right, I think we can address most if not all of these holes in the next two months. But NOT if we are giving away all of our resources for one guy. Making a move for Jones now, would give us a premium WR on the outside. But it would hinder us from upgrading the O-Line. Which means Josh Allen is still running around with no time, our running game is still getting 1 yard on first down, and we are still struggling to move the ball.

Things can change quickly. And I think last year marked the start of some big changes in the NFL power structure. I'm optimistic that some of the teams who have been awful for several years (particularly the Browns, Jets and Bills) finally were able to get their franchise QBs. If I'm right, don't be surprised if all three of these places are prime targets for free agents by next year. The teams who have been dominating during that same time (particularly the Patriots and Steelers) are inching closer towards their Hall-of-Fame leaders finally retiring. And as we already know, finding a new franchise QB is much easier said that done.

Let's see who gets the last laugh here. I would love to see Brown go to a team like the Broncos or Dolphins, who have a much better "reputation" around the league. But then Josh Allen blows up next year, and we are suddenly 10x better than those franchises.

I'm pretty thick skinned. And it usually doesn't bother me when people knock Buffalo as a destination. But Rotoworld's comments were extremely unprofessional and insulting. A "significant downgrade" in fantasy numbers and stats? Sure. Makes sense. A "significant downgrade" in contending for playoffs? Debatable, but OK fine. A "significant downgrade" in LIFE? That's just garbage. Who the #$%* is writing this trash?

Nobody knows for sure. But we do know that Buffalo was willing to offer more than anyone else.

Like I said earlier. I'm happy Beane did his due-diligence and explored what it would take to add Brown. I'm not happy that Beane was willing to offer more than 30 other GMs.

Please. You don't know that NONE of the top players want to play here. I've been watching this team for 30 years and we've rarely had trouble convincing Free Agents to come here, when we were willing to shell out the money they were looking for. There have been several times we managed to grab players who were Top 5-10 targets around the league (Mario Williams, Bryce Paup, Chris Spielman, Ted Washington, Sam Adams, Takeo Spikes). I agree that SOME of the top players don't want to play here. And a big-headed, egotistical idiot like Antonio Brown who believes the entire world revolves around him, is part of that group. Oh well. My thing is, anyone with that kind of attitude is probably not a good thing for a young and growing team. Everybody is different. If I was an NFL player, I would do everything in my power to avoid ending up in certain cities. I would hate living in New York City or anywhere in California. Those places are not my style. I'm also not sure I could convince myself to play for a coach like Bill Belichick.

That's what I said. (As long as the QB is already in place) you just need guys that can get open and catch the ball. That's it. You don't need a Pro-Bowl superstar who needs to be the center of attention.

I wouldn't be willing to trade for Odell Beckham either. WRs in general are very overrated. You don't need a superstar receiver to have a great passing game. You just need a great Quarterback and people who are good at getting open. These guys who cause distractions in the locker room, start public arguments with their QB, act like egotistical clowns and complain about how often the ball is thrown to them - I honestly don't want those guys on my team.

I'm happy that he made the call and had discussions with Pittsburgh. I'm NOT happy that we were apparently willing to offer MORE than 30 other teams for this clown.

Brown may be the best WR in the NFL. Yet the Steelers are desperately trying to get rid of him, despite the fact: - The only have a short remaining Super Bowl window before Ben Roethlisberger retires - They will still be on the hook for $21 million in dead cap this year and $14 million next year - They probably weren't going to get even close to his value in draft pick compensation

Just woke up. I'm happy the trade didn't go through. There have been nothing but warning signs with Antonio Brown for the last few months, which is not something we need on a young/growing team. Screw his talent. I don't want his ridiculous ego and "me-first" attitude. And if the reports are true that he refused to come here (after whining about Pittsburgh trading him), that just reinforces why we don't want him either.

This is a puzzling move for Washington. This year, Alex Smith will count over $20 million against the cap, even if he doesn't play (which he probably won't). Case Keenum is set to count $21 million against the cap in 2019. And where they are in the draft, it could be very difficult to land a top QB prospect without a significant trade-up. Unless Keenum restructures his contract (which is possible, but why would he?), the Redskins could have over $40 million of their salary cap tied up in QBs. And they would still be at the bottom of the league in passing, without a young passer waiting in the wings.

Depending on the asking price, this is a move I could get behind. I just posted a message in the "Tyrell Williams thread" - stating how it's OK to overpay in Free Agency, as long as you are wise in picking your spots. In my opinion, this would be a much smarter place to use cap space. I would rather pay $10 million per year for a Top 5 Guard, than $12 million for a WR that has been buried on the depth chart .

Disagree on the "veteran" angle. We need more talent in the WR room. No doubt. But I would be just as happy with a team full of young receivers. If we are just desperate for experience and leadership, then we can add a vet who commands closer to $3-4 million and helps from the bench. It's perfectly OK to overpay in Free Agency. But you can't get ridiculous with it. You have to pick your spots. This group of FA receivers is mediocre at best, and the teams who pay $10-12 million for any of these guys (Williams, Tate, Humphries) are going to regret it.

There are better uses with our cap space. I understand that Free Agency is about overpaying, but giving Tyrell Williams $12 million per season is ridiculous. Regardless of how the contract is structured. That's not just WR#1 money. That is top-half of the NFL WR#1 money. As I said before. If we are going to get crazy throwing money at players, then do it at the offensive line.

I'm also very skeptical of anybody who comes from New England. Especially on offense. The league is FULL of players who left the Patriots machine, signed big deals elsewhere, and then never lived up to their contract. He's also pretty much the only Left Tackle with starting experience available in Free Agency, so his contract is going to be ridiculous. We definitely need a tackle, but I would rather spend money on JuWuan James or Darryl Williams on the right side. I'm more confident they will continue to play well in another environment. Of course (assuming we are not sold on Dion Dawkins at LT), that puts us into a really difficult position with the draft. We would really need to prioritize an OT like Jonah Williams or Jawaan Taylor at #9. And I'm not sure either will be available.

Like many others, I take this as the Bills looking for versatile players that can give them different rush packages.... as opposed to going after a pure DE like DeMarcus Lawrence or Robert Quinn. With Lorenzo Alexander getting near the end, I think the SLB is a sneaky need they could throw some good money at in free agency.

Josh Rosen still has a chance to be a very good QB in this league. You cannot judge a guy on his rookie season alone, especially with a team as awful as Arizona. With that said, you have to wonder what the heck is going on in Arizona's front office (assuming this report is true). They fired the head coach Steve Wilks after one season. They drafted a QB in the Top 10 and are now ready to move-on after one season. I can't blame Kliff Kingsbury however. Rosen is a very polarizing guy and his personality really rubbed some people the wrong way. His skills are also limited to being a traditional pocket passer. If Kingsbury doesn't believe he's a good fit for what he's trying to build, I give him credit for recognizing that immediately and being willing to make a bold move.

It takes a different amount of scoring to win every single week. Some weeks it may be 21. Some weeks it may be 42. Some weeks it may be 10. No matter what the average comes out to, he was making a generalized statement that his offense needs to be better. The moment they selected Josh Allen, it should have been obvious what their goals were. They didn't draft a safe check-down machine. They drafted the riskiest guy with the biggest ceiling, whose biggest flaw as a rookie was throwing TOO MANY passes downfield.

Just a month ago, everyone was wondering whether Foles was going to take them on another Super Bowl run. The Eagles didn't make it past the divisional round this time. But without Foles as backup, they probably wouldn't have made the playoffs at all. Keeping him on the roster for another season gave them a legitimate shot in 2018. That's all you can ask for. Other teams have given up way more to make a one-year run at the Lombardi.

New England is basically a machine. Belichick's system utilizes average/above average talent for a few seasons, makes those players look like stars, and then discards them to the scrap heap. Other teams try signing those guys to big contracts, and most of the time end up disappointed. Meanwhile, the Patriots get a mid-round pick to easily replace them. A great example is Trent Brown. He was originally a 7th Round Pick of the 49ers, who was a fairly decent right tackle during his first three seasons. Last offseason, the Patriots let Nate Solder walk in free agency (he got a huge contract from the Giants), then traded a late 3rd-Rounder for Brown and moved him to the left side. After a season of playing in New England's offense, Brown suddenly looks like a franchise LT and is ready to cash-in. The Pats will certainly let him go. They will replace him with Isaiah Wynn, who is sitting on the bench. They will get their 3rd Rounder back next season from the compensatory system, and won't miss a beat.

The original intention was to create parity and help out the bottom teams. For example - If a player doesn't want to re-sign in Cleveland, this gives them some help in replacing that player. But instead, it's done the opposite. The better teams generally have more good players, and thus more sought-after free agents. So instead of re-signing them to a big contract, they just let that player leave in free agency. And instead of getting nothing for them, they basically get a 3rd-4th round pick in return. I'm sure that Brandon Beane would love to eventually make the system "work" for them. But it's going to take time to get the roster into a place where they can do that. They need to be drafting well enough that: a) The players they DON'T bring back are signing big deals elsewhere. b) They have enough depth to fill holes without going crazy signing other free agents (which basically offsets the compensatory formula). Since Beane has taken over, the Bills haven't had enough good players on the roster to let walk away in free agency. The ones they have (Sammy Watkins, Ronald Darby) were already traded to obtain the capital necessary to move-up and draft a QB. And since the entire roster has needed to be rebuilt from the ground-up, Beane has needed to utilize free agency to fill holes. As it stands, it will probably be at least 2021 before the Bills are in a position to take advantage of the compensatory formula. Maybe even later.