Logic

The knock on AD Mitchell is his body language and effort when the ball isn't going his way. Call me crazy, but the LAST thing I want after trading Stefon Diggs away is a guy whose default mode when not getting the ball is "phoning it in". Combine that with his failure to ever crack 1,000 yards in a season or truly dominate as a college receiver, and I couldn't in all good conscience vote for him. For what it's worth, if this exact scenario presented itself to Buffalo come draft night, I think they'd draft Kool-Aid McKinstry. That's not who I voted for, because that's not what I would do. But I believe it's what Beane would do if this is how the draft played out.

Don't be scared because the Sammy Watkins trade didn't work out. Look at the Julio Jones trade, which DID work out. Send a package of picks (including this year's and next year's 1st, plus a future 2nd and 4th, or whatever the value chart dictates) to Chicago for the 9th pick. Draft Rome Odunze. Allen has a blue chip, franchise WR on a cost controlled deal for five years. A top playmaker who can grow with Allen and be the driving force in this passing game for years to come.

Get ready for a whole bunch of vanilla compliments and a refusal to spill even the slightest bit of tea. "We're thankful to Diggs for everything he gave to the Buffalo Bills. We just felt like this was the best thing for both parties at this time". "Thanks for the question, but I'm not going to get into specifics". "We're confident in the guys we got, excited for guys like Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel to step up, and even Kincaid and Knox, who are like receivers at times". There, now you don't have to watch. I just summed up the entire thing.

I think you took "Who's Stefon Diggs?" waaaay too seriously and typed a novel in response to a simple joke. Have a lovely Wednesday.

I didn't have Dave Portnoy being the biggest Josh Allen defender on the timeline today on my Bingo card, but here we are.

I just hope that when people are evaluating this move for the Bills, they're considering the $25 million it opens up in cap space for 2025 for Buffalo. That's a major factor. This year, the Bills are taking some tough cap medicine. No doubt about it. But NEXT year? Beane's gonna have funny money.

I loved that. Turns out the writer was known moron Nicky Smokes (Dolphins fan, agitator, immature goofball). Portnoy proceeded to double down on the "moron" comment once he realized it, too.

The move to get rid of Diggs, eliminate distractions, take our cap medicine this year, get younger and cheaper, and add a big pile of 2025 cap space? A+ The trade ITSELF? Diggs and two late picks for a 2nd? Hmmm...Probably a C . I say that because while a 2nd round pick doesn't look great on the surface, when you consider Digg's contract and age, and the fact that a guy like L'Jarius Sneed only fetched a 3rd, it's actually not a bad return. The compensation received is mitigated, however, by the enormous dead cap hit. So averaging together the move and all of its implications, the compensation received, and the dead cap hit, I can't give the whole thing better than a C grade, even though I feel like the overall impact may wind up being an A+ in the long run.

Not sure if this has been posted yet, as I have no desire to wade through 56 pages of hand wringing, but... Known Bills supporter and Allen defender Dave Portnoy (I say with tongue firmly in cheek) has this to say:

Yes, for the reasons that I stated. The legal system somehow seems to have a way of working differently for people with money and for star athletes. I know you feel differently and are projecting a different outcome. It's okay. We can agree to disagree on this topic.

A 6th this year, not a 4th.

The thing that people always fail to understand is that when a player is on a bad/expensive contract, it always factors into the value you get back in a trade. That's certainly what happened here.

Who's Stefon Diggs?

Thanks for the correction. Felony, not a misdemeanor. I stand by the rest of my post.

I think two things can simultaneously be true: On the one hand: Rice was almost certainly driving one of the cars. He was involved in or caused an accident causing bodily harm to another person and then fled the scene, which is a misdemeanor potentially punishable by jail time. On the other hand: He has good legal representation, money, is a star athlete, and some of the specific fine points of the incident may be difficult to definitively prove. And thus, he may get off with a fairly light punishment. I simultaneously think that Rice is fully guilty AND that very little will come of it either legally or in terms of league punishment. Somewhere from 2 to 6 games suspension is what I expect.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/betting-odds-shift-toward-drake-maye-over-jayden-daniels-as-favorite-for-no-2-pick Betting odds shift toward Drake Maye over Jayden Daniels as favorite for number 2 pick. Maybe you're onto something, Alpha.

Agreed. But everything that happened after THAT, lol.... Retaining counsel rather than just walking into the police station. Choosing the specific counsel he did (a state senator who also represents Jerry Jones). In the immediate aftermath, he ***** up big time. Ever since then, though, his behavior displays a realization of just how badly he ***** up and what real potential legal trouble he finds himself in.

While I agree that Daniels won't last this long and have stated my belief that he'll go #2 overall... A quarterback that the experts all guarantee us will go high ends up falling on draft day just about every single year. It happens constantly. I'd bet on the faller being Maye instead of Daniels, but still...the notion of a highly touted QB prospect falling down the board really isn't all that farfetched. There are piles of precedent for it.

Agreed. I maintain that it's a moot point, because Daniels is going to Washington at 2. The selection of Kliff Kingsbury as OC, the signing of Mariota as backup QB...everything points to a certain kind of RPO, movement, and spread system that they want to run, and Jayden Daniels is the man to run it. Williams to the Bears and Daniels to the Commanders are picks I'd feel comfortable writing in permanent marker right now, and betting real money on. Beyond that, it's all a crapshoot.

Yeah. I think they feel like they have that now in Tyrod Taylor. I'm not saying I agree with them, and it certainly seems like Jayden Daniels would probably be an upgrade over Tyrod. But I think they have faith in Tyrod as backup, and will go after more of an "instant impact" player.

Prediction: All of the people dismissing him and saying he's always hurt (as if an ACL tear and an Achilles tear aren't both freak accidents that can happen to anyone) now are going to be the first ones saying "why didn't Beane sign this guy?! He was asleep at the wheel!" next season when Dobbins stays healthy, resuscitates his career, and proves to still be a dynamic weapon in the run game. Yes, I'm still a Dobbins supporter and believer. Yes, I realize that achilles injuries are hard to come back from for football players. Yes, I wish the Bills would sign Dobbins to a cheap, incentive-laden deal. Unless Dobbins wants big money, this seems like an obvious low-risk, high-reward move that I wish Beane would make. The Chiefs seem to be doing a lot of the low-risk, high-reward stuff lately: Araiza, the rugby star they signed once the kickoff rule changed, and now potentially Dobbins. When the financial cost isn't high, I believe that it behooves a team to take calculated risks.

Protecting a 40+ year old QB coming off a torn achilles certainly seems like a more prudent short term move (which is how Saleh and Douglas are probably thinking right now -- short term) than drafting a QB who may not play for another season or two. Douglas and Saleh's best chance at saving their jobs is to have a winning season. The best chance for THAT to happen would come from Rodgers staying upright and performing well. The best chance for THAT to happen would be to get him the best possible offensive line and weaponry. That's how my mind thinks about it, anyway. I do agree with you, as I said, that what's best for the Jets in the long term would be to draft Daniels, but unfortunately for them, they have men in charge who may not be thinking as much about the long term, because they realize they may not be around long enough to see it.

I agree with @mannc that Daniels would be the best pick for the Jets, and also agree with you that it doesn't make sense for the current regime in charge. That's never good for a franchise: When what's best for the team doesn't mesh with what's best for the men in charge.

The legal counsel Rice has returned states that he is currently "cooperating with authorities". That doesn't sound as though he has physically "turned himself in", per se, but he's not on the run or anything. The language of the counsel's statement was certainly vague. Rice so far seems to be handling this incident verrrry carefully in its aftermath. Smart move.