BarleyNY

Some rumblings that HGH tests might have had something to do with the retirements of Worlids and Willis. It comes from a good source, but it was not passed on as a definite. Sure would make sense though.

A retort worth of a 5th grader. You're really growing up! Feel free to chime in with an actual arguement - if you are capable.

I'd say that the OP is fair in his assessment that the team is status quo talent-wise from last season, but: - Talent acquisitions aren't over yet and - Ryan is a huge upgrade over Marrone

Thanks to those who responded. Some good info there, particularly from those who've seen him a lot. So I'm getting this: - Versatile TE/H-back - Very good all around, but not great - Creates mismatches - Will probably require some overpayment I'd wager that the Bills don't have much choice but to go after him and overpay a bit. I absolutely love players that bring this kind of versatility. I am rarely a fan of overpaying a player, but the Bills are clearly trying to set themselves up to win in the short term and an above average TE would help greatly. Overpaying somewhat for players like this is one consequence of missing so many draft picks this year. It is what it is.

Thank you for asking. I was wondering the same.

Bigger than you'd think. Obviously you've never had someone try to slip something bad for you into a contract before. Both sides need time to negotiate and comb through these deals - especially such large ones. Agents and GMs can destroy their careers with a stupid mistake like that. The Bills are not in as bad of an immediate spot cap-wise as most think anyway. The Rule of 51 applies until final cut downs so they have more space now than it appears than when looking at the total for all of the contracts.

$13M. The salary only. The Rams would take the hit for the prorated signing bonus portion.

It's a little late in the game to renegotiate a contract. Literally hours. With time needed for not only all parties to read the deal through the league would need to approve it. On an incredibly busy day for that office in terms of contracts coming through. So that won't be happening unless it was in the works already. A team would have to do a handshake deal on a new contract and have room for his current salary cap hit until it got hammered out. I don't see any team giving up much for him without a new contract in place. Huge salary for one year for an oft injured QB doesn't make sense. If the Rams have room (which they do currently) why not wait until the dust settles and there are no QBs options left in the market and then rake a desperate team? Besides, they still need to find a QB if it isn't going to be Bradford.

I'm not sure why people complain about a player maximizing their earnings. It's always a nice feel good moment for the fans when someone like Hughes stays instead of chasing the last nickle. There's a lot to be said for being in a place you like and working with and/or for good people, people you care about. There's also something to be said for playing for a team that could win it all. But I don't blame any player for going for the money. They've got a long time on this planet after football.

That looks like a better deal for the Bills than I would have expected if that's the entirety of it. Difficult to think Hughes won't be here for the duration. I thought there were some escalators/bonuses mentioned in the original report of the deal. Any word on those, or was that incorrect?

Would hope the Bills do Fred better than an outright release. Totally understand the issue with his age and position, but last season he certainly showed he has value. I'd be very disappointed if they didn't attempt to retain him at a lower salary. He deserves to retire a Bill.

Looks like he got market value. 5 years, $45M is right there. Nice to know that with all else equal he wanted to stay a Bill. Retaining him is huge.

I like having Shady, but I gotta admit I'm not thrilled with paying any RB what he is making. I hate losing Kiko. Not only was he a quality player who was still on his cheap rookie contract, he brought a nastiness to the defense that I loved. That will be missed.I wouldn't get ahead of myself thinking that Shady's new deal means Hughes is staying. If that was priority #1 then this trade makes little sense as the Bills acquired a much more expensive player than they lost.

Agreed. Some team will make a run at him and I'd love it to be the Bills. They could sure use him.

Good to know they'd never make a mistake. For the record, I don't see them signing Iupati or Franklin. If they do sign one of them, Franklin would be the far better choice.

What, you wouldn't rather have a guard who would work in both cases? I don't know when the Bills are going to find a franchise QB, but I'd hope it would be within the duration of such a contract.

Absolutely correct regarding Franklin. I don't understand why Iupati's name is the one always coming up.

The Saints are $16.4M over the cap right now and are looking at dumping at least one of those guards as well as making other moves to get where they need to be.

The Steelers will not be able to pay him. I see him getting a good payday, but not quite what Hughes gets.

Good. May he never see the light of day again.

True. At least with Locker I could see him turning the corner and being special if he could stay healthy. He's had issues, but he's also looked great at times.

Too late now. Maybe they thought it wasn't worth it for one season or that they wouldn't want to match the deal he'd be offered anyway.

So you'd leave what, $10M or so, on the table to play on a team that just finally broke .500 for the first time in forever and has no franchise QB?

I hope most people around here think the same way when it comes to OGs. I'd rather pay a pass rusher like Hughes a premium than an OG like Iupati. He will be missed. A reuniting with Pettine in Cleveland is a very good possibility. Both need and cap space certainly exist. The other usual suspects like Jax, Oakland, etc. should be in the mix.

Um, no. Not even close. Iupati is the best in free agency this year and he's good, but he's far from the best OG in the league. Excellent run blocker, but average in pass pro. That actually fits well with what the Bills need, but he will be so overpaid due to the lack of talent at the position in free agency the Bills should pass. Also the thought of letting Hughes walk for Iupati is crazy. Good OGs can be found much easier than good pass rushers. The right move is to let some other team give him a stupid contract and find a decent option elsewhere. They might have to draft their OG in the 2nd or 3rd. It's Orlando Franklin and Iupati, then it goes down a big notch. Maybe a depth signing to cover their butts.....