BillsFanForever19

Hey, we signed our first guy on ProFootballTalk's Top 100 Free Agents. And to be a Backup to boot. Solid.

No, it won't. You'll watch every game and then come here to complain and threaten. But unless you're not a true blue Bills fan and just a fair weather fan, you won't stop following the team. I get fans wanting a Super Bowl so bad you can taste it. And yes, it's incredibly frustrating to come so close and not get there. But before Beane got here, we were in purgatory. Laughing stock of the league. It's important to keep that in perspective of where we are now. Maybe Hopkins will happen. Maybe he won't. But there's still a lot of time left in the Offseason. Who knows what this team will look like in the Season Opener. And if it weren't for a myriad of injuries and unfortunate situations derailing the team last season, who knows what we could have been if those things didn't happen. Who knows what we could be with the same team if those things don't happen this season.

How do you figure? Whoever we take in the 1st we have for 4 years automatically, 5 years if we want it. And for pennies on the Hopkins dollar. Hopkins turns 31 before the start of the year and is only under a (massive) 2 year contract. There's no telling when he'll fall off. Could be within the next 2 years for all we know. Even if we did sign him to an extension and kept him for 5 years, he'd be 36 at the end of it. WR's don't stay "Elite" at 36. And that would cost more money than the 34.5 cap hit we'd already be on the hook for. And you don't know who could be the next Elite WR. How many people had Justin Jefferson coming into the league at Pick 22 and immediately lighting the league on fire? Not many, but it happened. No one has the ability to say it's an impossibility for Johnson, Addison, or JSN to be just as good. Either way, you don't take on a 31 year old WR's 34.5 million dollar cap hit over 2 years AND give up a 1st Round Pick to do it. You just don't.

Or it was just done at the same time? From the sounds of it, David was already in the process of re-signing with the Bucs when we called. Very likely Beane checked in, saw where he was in negotiations and what Tampa was paying him and just said "alright, cool". If we were really putting the full course press on him like we were with Von - he wouldn't have been saying "Von didn't call me".

I mean, I guess this is a post for what you'd give up. And if that's the most you'd give, that's fair. But in no way shape or form are they giving us Jerry Jeudy and a 2023 4th for a 2023 2nd and a 2024 4th. That's less than a 2nd for a guy they don't seem to be willing to give up for a 1st.

We need to add to Diggs and Davis, not add and subtract. Gabe had a down year last year after starting the season with a high ankle sprain that he pushed through. Beane talked up the hope to have him as a Bill for years to come after his rookie contract. I don't think we're giving up on him nor do I think we should. He's done his best stuff when he's had two other WR's taking the bulk of the coverage. Harty and Sherfield are upgrades from what we had as depth behind Diggs and Davis. But I'd rather sprinkle them in than have them be our go to guys if something were to happen to Diggs or Hopkins.

I mean, if that's what Arizona wanted I'd say do it. But Arizona wants to deal Hopkins to get rid of his salary. Not sure how interested they'd be to take on Oliver for one season at a 10 million cap hit if they're doing the deal to help their cap to begin with.

I don't think the Bills underappreciate Gabe Davis. But the fans most definitely do. I'm not saying we shouldn't get another outside WR at his level. But that's just out of necessity bc we can't be in a situation like we were last season where he or Diggs get banged up and we're trotting out Jake Kumerow regularly. He underperformed last season. But he also started the year with an Ankle Sprain that he pushed through and could have affected his production and focus. We should add more at the position. But the people who say we should trade him, outright replace him, or that he's completely incapable of being a #2 are misguided to this point.

Yeah, regardless of speculation, publicly this has been their stance since Day 1. They could be hoping that in constantly saying that someone might give them an offer they can't refuse. But I tend to feel like they're just being honest and they really don't have any desire to move on from Jeudy. I can't imagine Payton coming in and immediately getting rid of their #1 WR while trying to rebuild Russell Wilson. And I don't think he came back for a rebuild of the team. Pretty sure that's why he left New Orleans in the first place.

There's a major disparity between OTC and Spotrac for next year's cap. I don't know if OTC is already factoring in what they expect the cap to be next season before it's been confirmed or what the deal is there - but Spotrac has us 17.5+ over already in '24 https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/cap/2024/

Yeah, ultimately I think that's probably what Beane is thinking right now. Or circling back to OBJ. Probably still monitoring the situation and telling them to keep in touch if their price drops. But I'm pretty sure what happened was they called and were interested when the word on the street was they'd have to take less than what Houston got for Brandin Cooks. But since then they've heard it's a "Christian McCaffrey" type price tag starting with a 2nd Rounder plus more picks AND the full hit of the contract. That's a non-starter for Brandon Beane.

The excitement is over because Arizona named their price and it's too much right now and nothing's getting done. Hopefully it drops and we can get it done.

You know, the usual. If we let him get traded somewhere else we're doomed and Brandon Beane should be fired. The cap doesn't exist and no one should care about what it costs. Adding him immediately guarantees us a Super Bowl. People with 25 followers are legit sources. Anyone who says anything but we're going to get him aren't legit sources. Tracking flights to Arizona the weekend of the League Meetings in Arizona that couldn't possibly be for anything but picking up Hopkins. We should trade a 1st Round Pick if that's what it takes. Threatening to boycott the team if they don't trade for him. Etc.

In the Cap Jungle, Welcome to the Cap Jungle

I felt like a Tre restructure was the most obvious option going into this offseason. But they haven't done it. Looking into it, it appears we have an out in his contract next offseason if we wanted. My guess is that they don't want to play with future years in his deal in the event that he doesn't return to form or even regresses further and they want to exercise that option. They also restructured his deal already on 12/1/22. So they may have already done all that they figured they could do a few months ago. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/tredavious-white-21768/

I mean, i'd be fine with that deal. I just don't think Arizona would give us Hopkins for moving up 7 picks and picking up a conditional late rounder in 2024. That's a FAR cry from what everyone is reporting they're asking for.

Reports are they're asking for a 2nd plus more compensation. So a 3rd would be a compromise even from Arizona's end. In the end, I don't think it's the picks stopping the deal. I think it's Arizona wanting to do the deal as a full salary dump. If that's the case, I don't see us offering any more than a 4th, if we're even interested in taking on that contract in full at all.

The only way this is happening for us in the near future is if Arizona comes off their asking price in the near future. Simple as that. As it stands right now, looking for a Christian McCaffrey style deal of multiple picks starting with a 2nd plus a complete taking of a 31 year old WR's massive contract - Beane will not and cannot do that. We got involved a few days ago when the story was that they'd have to take less than what Houston got for Brandon Cooks. Since then there's been nothing and today it's that they're now asking for more than they ever have. This is why there's been nothing and will continue to be nothing, unless that price changes.

I have not ignored it. But you can't just take one part of a statement and ignore the other. That's not the complete statement. The complete statement was they expect something in the near future BUT that Arizona would have to come off their asking price. I could say "you'll become president but only if it snows in hell" and you'd read that as you're becoming president.

For the third time - that's not what was said. The exact quote was: "Talking to other teams around the league, they do expect something to shake out with a Hopkins trade with Arizona in the near future - but Arizona would have to come off their asking price. I've talked to teams who say that Arizona has wanted a second-round pick and more, almost like a Christian McCaffrey package that you saw during the season last year ... Teams aren't willing to do that as of yet" There's no saying that Arizona will move from their asking price. And if that doesn't happen, a deal will not come in the near future. One thing's absolutely for sure - if a team does meet that price, it won't be us.

https://sports.yahoo.com/hefty-price-cardinals-reportedly-want-192451574.html If there is a team willing to pay a "Christian McCaffrey" level deal - it most certainly won't be us. Initial reports that they were looking for a Cooks level deal or less was surely what made us look into it. But if all this is true that they've since jacked their price up to even higher than before, that's it for us It's been said we were interested "at the right price". This isn't that.

Certainly hoping for sooner. But as I said in the post above, it seems like they're currently sticking to their guns and hoping to get more leverage. Which to me will only come after WR needy teams miss their targets in the Draft.

Again - he said he expects it but only if Arizona drops their price. That's no guarantee. Article from Bleacher Report yesterday says they're waiting for leverage, which logic would say waiting until after teams have missed out on WR's in the Draft and are more desperate. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10069916-report-cardinals-broncos-waiting-for-leverage-in-deandre-hopkins-jerry-jeudy-trade

That's cherry picking and hearing what you want to hear. He said he expects it in the near future BUT Arizona has to come down from their price tag to do it. Which means it won't happen in the near future if they refuse to. Everything since yesterday has pointed to this. They want a 2nd plus more and they don't want to pay any more on the deal than they're already on the hook for. Currently, no team in the league is willing to do that. Surely us included. So until that happens, if it happens - we won't be making a move for him.

Again, you're speaking in absolutes in situations you don't know about. Who's to say Quentin Johnson, Jordan Addison, or JSN won't hit the ground running like Justin Jefferson did? No one expected Jefferson to be a stud and especially not that quickly, but it happened. How do you know a 1st Round Pick won't be able to put up the numbers Hopkins can at this point in his career?