ScottishBills

I think that's my point though. The deal history suggests there isn't much evidence of Beanie low balling anyone. None of us actually know, but on the things we do know, it's at the very least just as likely that Cook is high-balling the Bills (Don't think high balling is a thing, but makes sense to me 🤦🏽‍♂️)

Agree to disagree on this. I don't see a macro to deal with - cap goes up, new deals are x% of cap, so they go up almost unwittingly anyway. They just rise with the cap. Individual position groups maybe have to fight each other to be fair - and RBs have been loud about their role/part in this - that their % is too low now. That's just market forces unfortunately for them.

These are the exact type of contracts that grind my gears. Middling (at best) players but we are obsessed with maintaining a floor and pay over the odds to do so. Taking a chance on something different (FA or rookie) and use that money to pay top end players. Difference makers. Rather than players who make no difference

Surely this is no more or less naive than believing Cook is in the right when your own long list of players ALL got this done quietly and quickly!? The list is the proof of the quality of the Bills' offers.

I get what you're saying but the cap goes up every year - and everyone knows who spends to the cap or doesn't. So someone on that 53 is getting paid. It's only about the distribution in the end. FWIW I think next time round owners will be looking to cut down from whatever percentage players get right now (think it's 48% or 49%, not sure though)

Agree mostly Though I reckon Bengals fans would argue they would have been in the playoffs if Chase had actually been ready to go last season from Week 1..

Mostly agree but would quibble on one small point - the owners don't keep the money. It goes to another player or players (including the OLine opening the holes and the backs making sure is running fresh after a rest) (Assuming spending to the cap, which the Bills I assume do) Don't disagree at all with you on this. I get that there is some NFLPA type do it for the others argument - but I really don't see why Allen or any of the others would take way over 50m. I really don't. They are making their own team worse and their own job harder. It completely confuses me. At the same time, the reason people don't crash out about it is of course it's (relatively) much easier to replace 4 than 17. Sucks for Cook maybe, but it's reality. So they are the players forced to compromise.

All said with a straight face whilst writing cheques based on multiple possible future all-pros. 😬

I guess they are all stuck then. As you can't really pay high with that philosophy - and you maybe* can't take lower if you personally feel like you could do it if given the chance *I always think part of the issue with the wider argument is people who are very firmly "get what you can\its a short career\why are you supporting the billionaire\support the player" are unwilling to accept some people's view that the alternative isn't poverty or famine, and would also be fine. Let's say the Bills want to pay 36/3 and Cook wants 45/3 - I totally get the argument of how can you dare suggest he leave 9 million etc etc - but it's also true that getting paid 36m to run the ball is also very nice. And you get to do it behind a solid line whilst not being run into the ground like a dog. Not saying they should agree, but they seem so hellbent on players always getting the max that all reasonableness goes out the window.

Oh wow I see where the issue is now. Not worth debating more on it - if I thought that, I would also want him paid up to the max. He is an excellent player, who improved a lot, but I think a lot of people would disagree with you on that conclusion. And then add it's one of the positions with a much smaller fall off as you go down the list of players, so people (me included) will always think it's much easier to replace so no need to pay max

Man I really hope you're right but Allen takes a LOT of hits. He takes them like Superman, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't scream "17 year career" to me

Cook is the best player not wearing 17 in the last 8 years!? News to a lot of us I reckon

I agree. And similarly James Cook should stop with the Saquon stuff. Him and his brother. That's the whole point!

Fair enough, all reasonable points. Not sure I agree, but for interest why do you think then that the Bills don't use him more? Why is he not up at 70%+ like the big boys? They must have a reason for keeping him down below 50% and they must be at least as good as you at evaluating that? To be honest I thought earlier in the season it was just management, keep him fresh for the postseason, but then we got there and right enough - 50% again. So it was a fixed plan by all appearances Not on the wind up - what do those who think he can take a higher workload think is the reason the Bills disagree?

Isn't Ray Davis our second best player!? He averages 150+ yards a game in a starting role (Behind that OL, with that QB and with other backs to take the load off him so he doesn't break down) Cook is a heck of a player, and he improved last season for sure. But ain't no-one confusing him for Saquon, Henry or CMC as far as being a game wrecker in his own right.

🤣🤣 Standard issue Gooner debating skills The Bills and everyone else manages to see this. Just a few left who are chained to their view because he (and he does!) score some sexy touchdowns. He is a (relatively speaking) smaller back who ended up with niggles in 2023 because he couldn't take the workload. They dialled it back in 2024 and he remained smooth and quick almost all year. And if it was a good idea for him to play 75% of snaps, either or a physical or tactical level, the Bills would very likely do it. They don't seem to think it's bollocks 🤷🏽‍♂️

a) they didnt cap his touches the year before so much and he wore down, fairly obviously b) he can't do what the 75% snap guys can do. No matter how many fanboys claim he can. He just doesn't have the bulk to do it.

Exactly. And can you pay Moore and Cook and a draft pick rather than Moore and Samuel and Palmer and not Cook? Cook has an elite ceiling in his specific role. We need to keep those sorts of players rather than collecting a bunch of mids

A good number of people seem to think he will get $15m+ next year. In that case the comp pick would be around a 4th surely? And you get him for a year before that. So below a 3rd makes not that much sense unless I have misunderstood Don't think anyone is the wrong here. We ain't paying too whack for a guy who plays half the snaps. And he doesn't want any part of the idea that he may well be elite BECAUSE he isn't playing 75% of the snaps like the real big boys are. So he will play the season, be 85-90% of what he was last year and that's that. The only bit that interests me is if the Bills decide that seeing as he thinks he can play all the snaps, make him do it, and run him into the ground. If they have no intention of re-signing him it makes sense to use him whilst he is here. Or do we see that they actually have no interest in him playing those other snaps whatever happens?

I would be thinking a mix of Kincaid and Moore, with a few for Coleman here and there

Yeah I think we are on the same page here more or less. I thought this might be that season after taking the Diggs medicine last year, but then they start filling up with mid level again - Palmer comes in on top of Samuel and the cap is full again. The effective result (imo anyway) is that our WR4, CB4, DT3 etc etc are better than league average. But we have no players who scare anyone apart from 17. I'd rather have seen (for example only) what Metcalf,Shakir, Coleman + random cheap guy + a 4ish round rookie can do Vs what Shakir, Coleman, Samuel, Moore, Palmer and Hamler and Shavers can do.

Somewhere within this is where the 2 points meet though isnt it? You are 100% right in what you say, no doubt - and yet which elite players do we have away from QB? Benford, maybe the tackles? The reality is that for some fans (me included) we concentrate on and pay too much to the middle classes - 7 out of 10 players who keep us in and around the best teams in the league - but cant take it over the top in a one-off elimination game The Eagles trashed the Chiefs in the SB, and yes that pass rush was great - but they were rushing from ahead, because AJ Brown burned their DBs badly. Twice. In the Championship Game, Saquon burned whoever they played. More than twice 🤣 Teams are scared of and game plan for Derrick Henry, JaMarr Chase, Gibbs. Will Andersen and Hunter sack QBs for fun. You need elite in the play-offs - and often that elite player and a "scrub" work out better than 2 pretty good players because those games turn on a play here or there. No right answer here, as I said you are 100% right with what you say from that point of view The alternate is how about we buy in the elite factor for a couple years and see if that has a different result. Because as things stand, the overwhelming likelihood is that we have a great season, win a wild card game and maybe a divisional game and then lose out to the Ravens or Chiefs by 3 points in a game where we fell 1 play short. I totally get a lot of people are happy with that. They should be just as happy to accept that others see an alternative option that they would like to see pursued. *Cap concerns are nonsese. I get that its real - but multiple teams have fixed the bulk of it by taking one bad season. Which simultaneously gets you a nice 1st round draft pick and a chance to play multiple cheap guys and find a couple gems in there too.

I almost hope for the opposite. High ankle sprains notoriously linger, presumably as in-season you just get back out there before its 100%. Almost rather miss the first couple weeks even if its at 90%+ - and come back only when its 100% - its a long old season - and no matter how good Shakir is, playing slot is one of the easier positions to replace with the players we have

Imagine trading AJ Brown and ending up with that for your pick 🤢🤢 Hopefully not the last time we see Vrabel shaking his head at his own teams trade!! The draft footage suggested he was dead against this tbf

This seems weird. Poster above talking about shoulder replacement and Brees with a presumably unlimited budget - why has this not happened yet? Must be able to get it basically functional surely?