Logic

I'd bet my bottom dollar that the words "up to" are doing a lot of heavy lifting in the "can earn up to x amount" signing announcement.

I feel like we go through this every year: An announcement is made that Player X has signed or re-signed with a team, and there's immediately a 20-page thread over-reacting, calling it an overpay, etc, etc. REMEMBER: The first announcement of a player signing that gets made and posted on Twitter and news outlets always comes from the player's agent, and is always stated in a way that sounds as favorable as possible to the player in question. It is always, ALWAYS necessary to wait until the full contract details come out, because they often paint a MUCH different picture. How much of the contract is guaranteed? How much came in the form of a signing bonus? How much is based on incentives? How likely are those incentives to be earned? Are there void years? First reports of signings are always incomplete and often inaccurate and often don't tell the whole story. Wait until more details are known before passing judgement. ***Added note for 2024: The salary cap going up an extra 10-15 million beyond what was expected will also result in larger contracts. This year's $10 million contract is not last year's $10 million contract. Expect contract inflation. Adjust your "shocked eyeballs" emojis accordingly***

How many times does it need to be said that you should never, EVER take the first reported signing of a contract at face value? The devil is always, ALWAYS in the details. The first report of a signing or re-signing is always by the player's agent, and always stated in a way that makes it sound as favorable as possible for the player. Invariably, followup reports often show greater detail that make the deal seem a lot more fair and palatable. And yet, every year, we continue to go through the "first announcement sticker shock". Every year.

Respectfully, I believe that it is you who is looking at it all wrong. One can acknowledge that a move needed to be made from a football standpoint and/or a salary cap standpoint (both of which I acknowledged in my post, which I'd bet $100 you failed to actually read), and still feel sad on a human level to see these great members of the Buffalo community and these great Buffalo Bills walk out the door. Too many people forget that NFL players are human beings. We can acknowledge the business side and be happy that the team is moving forward and shedding cap while ALSO being sad to see good human beings -- who helped build this current Bills team and gave us a lot of great memories along the way -- leave. Or at least, I can feel those things simultaneously. Maybe you can't. That's a shame. We've heard for years now how the team culture is one of the things that make this place special, and three huge pieces of that team culture got cut today. It's okay to have human feelings about it, separate from the nuts-and-bolts football strategy. It's also okay if you DON'T have those feelings, but you have no right to tell me that I'm "looking at it all wrong" by having those feelings. Empathy and affection for fellow humans -- even well paid football players -- are virtues, not weaknesses.

Thank you. Exactly this. It's almost as if the cold responders didn't actually read my post, wherein I said several times that the moves were necessary, expected, and even that I'm excited about them from a pure football standpoint. Where I was coming from -- and maybe I failed to get my point across clearly enough -- is that these guys are human beings. Yes, we all root for "the laundry", but we also get to know these guys to some degree as people. They become members of the Buffalo community. They have personalities, and we follow the arcs of their careers, and they lay it all on the line to bring Buffalo its first Lombardi, a thing that a guy like Jordan Poyer wanted just as badly as the fans here want it. So my post wasn't about whether or not these moves needed to happen (they did), and it wasn't stating that I would have kept any of them (I wouldn't). It's recognizing that these men were great HUMAN BEINGS, great leaders, and great Buffalo Bills. That they represented this team and this community with pride, with excellence, and with grit and tenacity and exemplary leadership. There are plenty of threads talking about the strategy of these moves. The nuts and bolts. The salary cap. My post was not that. My post was a "thank you", a recognition of a job very well done, a "farewell", and an acknowledgement that a football TEAM is made of PEOPLE, and sometimes it's a little hard to see those people walk out the door.

You and I are feeling differently about this, then. I'm not sad about it from a FOOTBALL standpoint, no. That part is exciting to me. I'm sad about it because these were great men, great leaders, and great players who helped bring us one of the most exciting 5-7 year periods of Bills football ever, and now they won't be Buffalo Bills. I'm sad because Tre'Davious White should by all right still be in his prime at age 29, an All-Pro level player, but football is a cruel game and dealt him back-to-back serious injuries, and now a cornerstone of the locker room is gone. There's the football level and the human level. On a football level, I'm excited and pleasantly surprised. On a human level, I am sad.

A sad day in Orchard Park. Bidding farewell to Tre White, Jordan Poyer, and Mitch Morse is a hard pill to swallow. All three were standout performers during their time here, all three were standout human beings off the field and leaders in the locker room, and all three were emblematic of and critical to the success of this era of Buffalo Bills football. Not all cuts in the NFL are created equal, and losing three men like White, Poyer, and Morse signals a sea change in the locker room, and a void of leadership and experience created. It also signals opportunity for a new generation of Buffalo Bills. But before the new guys get their shot, I'd like to take a moment to appreciate the outgoing Bills. No one stands out as having heralded the change in fortunes for the Buffalo Bills as much as Tre'Davious White and Jordan Poyer. Both arrived in year 1 of the from-the-ground-up rebuild, and both led the defensive unit with pride and excellent play for years. Mitch Morse came aboard in 2019 and was a great leader on the offensive side of the ball. Yes, all of these cuts were necessary from a salary cap standpoint, and it can be argued that two of them were necessary from a health/age/effectiveness standpoint as well. When you're running an NFL team and you're paying a franchise quarterback, tough decisions need to be made. Today is the first day that Bills fans are really seeing the reality of what this means in real time. Yes, it was necessary. Yes, I am excited for a bit of a youth movement and some fresh faces around One Bills Drive. But that doesn't mean these cuts don't hurt, and that it's not sad to see the departure of these great players and great men. Today is a sad day in Orchard Park. I thank all three men (and the other players that were cut) for their efforts and for their contributions to turning the Buffalo Bills into consistent contenders. I wish each of them luck in their remaining football careers or whatever lay behind them. Thank you Tre White, Jordan Poyer, and Mitch Morse. Now if you'll excuse me, I think someone's cutting onions in here.

Two of the best men in the Buffalo locker room were cut today in Tre White and Mitch Morse. White's been my favorite Bill for a while now. Sad to see him go, but understand why it needed to happen from a football and salary cap perspective. Thank you for everything, Tre'Davious. Tre White Goalie Academy for life!

I already liked the Bates trade, but now I REALLY like it. Between VanDemark, Edwards, and Alec Anderson, our OL depth is off to a good start. As for Edwards...any time you can sign a capable guard (who also essentially plays tight end in jumbo sets) to a fair deal, it's always a good day. Congrats, David "TE3" Edwards.

You're not wrong. I just think that depth at OL is something Beane has been pretty good at over the years. He hasn't always been great at having quality players at the TOP of the depth chart at OL -- the guard spots have been on-and-off liabilities for years -- but there always seems to be a good group of depth guys. I think that with Ryan VanDemark emerging at tackle and them liking Alec Anderson a lot at C/G, they've made a conscious decision to go young at OL behind the starters, which is a prudent move from both a money-saving and player development standpoint. Between the deep OL draft this year and Beane's shrewdness over the years in finding young, overlooked guys in the second and third waves of free agency, I have faith that a Bates replacement will be found. I certainly understand the reticence of those who do not share my belief, though.

I think the Bills really like Alec Anderson. The fact that they kept him on the 53 all last year but never made him active tells me that they knew he wouldn't have made it through waivers to the practice squad, and they liked him enough that they weren't willing to take the risk. I thought he played quite well in the preseason, and I can see why they like him. It won't surprise me in the least if they view him as "the new Ryan Bates", or even as someone who could step in at center in 2025.

Really? A 5th round pick for a career backup offensive lineman who wasn't gonna be starting in Buffalo for the foreseeable future seems like a great return to me.

I don't agree with this statement. As another poster said, I'd qualify Ed Oliver, Groot, and AJ as successes. Oliver is coming off a career year where he was right there among the NFL's best DTs. Groot and AJ have thus far been more modest successes, but they were taken in the late 1st and 2nd rounds, respectively. The arrow is pointing up on both. I don't think Beane has actually really taken that many swings on D-linemen in the draft overall, and of those swings he HAS taken, only Basham was a complete bust. The rest are all useful to good NFL players. Now if you want to say he hasn't had any SMASH successes, any out-of-the-park homeruns at DL in the draft, then I'll agree with you.

I totally agree with you. I think McDaniel's schtick has only worked so far because things have been going well for the Dolphins. The moment they hit a rough patch, I'll be very interested to see if players and media continue to find him so charming. I happen to think he's closer to flaming out as head coach of that team than he is to breaking through to consistent success. I view him as an amazing offensive mind who will have a very long and successful career as a coordinator, but doesn't have what it takes to be a head coach. Guess we'll see. And on a side note...it's good to see you back, YOLO.

I just learned about this from BADOL through another thread, but thought it deserved its own. I was fortunate enough to see Richard Lewis do standup shortly before he retired from the road. One of the absolutely funniest sets I've ever seen. Didn't seem to have much prepared material -- or at least didn't present it in a very organized way. Just spoke off the cuff and riffed and did crowd work. Absolutely slayed it. Aside from a legendary standup career, he was always one of my favorite parts of Curb Your Enthusiasm. What a legend. Sad day for the comedy world. https://nypost.com/2024/02/28/entertainment/richard-lewis-dead-curb-your-enthusiasm-actor-dies-at-76/ Richard and lifelong friend Larry David in their, um...younger days.

Legend. Minnesota Wrecking Crew and Four Horsemen FTW. RIP, Ole. Great talker and wrestler, not the greatest booker. Alas, a sad loss for the wrestling world.

Agreed. You'd be signing him betting that he's gonna be John Brown 2.0. The possibility exists, though, that he's Deonte Harty 2.0 instead.

Wow. That list is wild. Obviously corner and running back are quite different, but it makes me wonder about Tre White trying to make it back from an achilles tear at age 29.

I was wondering that myself. Not sure, but would love to know the answer.

Now that free agency is getting closer and we're starting to have a better idea of who will actually hit the market, and now that we know the salary cap number for 2024, I'm starting to look a little closer at the list of free agents to be. A few names I like below, and I'm curious to hear who you like, and why (bonus points for what you think they'll cost). FS Geno Stone (Spotrac projects $7.2 million per season) Started 11 games for the Ravens last year and led the league in interceptions by a safety with 7. Not gonna blow you away with athletic ability or speed, but is a very smart and heady player. Brandon Beane was just saying at the combine that smarts are the most important trait for them at safety, and Stone has the look of a guy who can be the new Micah Hyde, leading the secondary and patrolling the deep field. Shouldn't break the bank. 26 years old. Best football is ahead of him. RB JK Dobbins (Spotrac projects $2.1 million per season) This would purely be a cheap deal, low on guarantees, to see if Dobbins can rehabilitate his career. A former 2nd round pick who was extremely productive in college, but is coming off of a slew of serious injuries. I wouldn't want to depend on him as "the" answer at RB2, but he'd be a low risk, high reward signing and, if he can stay healthy, could prove to be a dynamic pairing with James Cook. RB Antonio Gibson (Spotrac projects $3.6 million per season) Has averaged over 800 yards rushing and 300 yards receiving per year throughout his career. Has plus receiving ability. 26 years old. In addition to being a good pairing with Cook, Gibson has shown the ability to be a capable RB1 when needed. Despite an already fairly productive career as a receiver, I feel he still has some untapped potential there, given that he was a productive WR in college. WR Darnell Mooney (Spotrac projects $10.4 million per season) Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott spent their recent combine pressers talking about adding explosive plays to the offense. Mooney would help add a speed element that this offense has been sorely lacking. He is just 26 years old and is two seasons removed from a 1,000 yard receiving season. Has deep speed and can take the top off a defense, opening things up for Diggs, Kincaid, and Shakir underneath. **Note I don't want to sign both Dobbins AND Gibson, but I like both guys for different reasons, and would be happy to see either sign with Buffalo.

I get your point, but I don't necessarily agree. I think having one of the top five best head coaches in history and the best quarterback on planet earth can cover up a lot of other warts, and are the factors most responsible for the success the Chiefs have been enjoying. Where I think these types of lists have relevance is in understanding why players would or would not want to come sign with your team in free agency.

I still haven't forgiven you for shooting my attorney in the face.

I'm less surprised when its a Bidwill or Tepper. Notorious cheapskates and jerks. But the storied Hunt family? Wild. Robert Kraft also ranked quite poorly, come to think of it. It's all just fascinating to me.

Apparently, living in Miami and playing for a cool bro does wonders for a player's impressions of the team they play for.