BillsFanForever19

I'll take it a step further - there isn't a team in the NFL that wouldn't have done the same. You can be mad about it and say "nuh uh - it would have been just us because we're dumb", but I supremely doubt it. It was terrible timing and a terrible situation. Since it happened before he entered the league, the option to put him on an exempt list didn't exist. We would have had to use a 53 man roster spot on a guy who wasn't here and another spot for another Punter for two straight seasons, if we wanted to wait everything out. All the while it being a media distraction hanging over our heads for all that time. NO team in the league would have done that. And it was far from just us who had pitchforks out. It was a national story picked up by even non-Sports outlets. Every NFL fanbase and every media outlet had the same "pitchforks" out. Is it unfortunate it played out as it did and KC reaps the possible rewards? Yes. But this idea that we should have waited it out and never let him go - isn't really a reality. Whoever drafted him if it wasn't us, would have had the same thing happen in their house and would have done the same thing.

I don't know about that. Coming off his 2022 All Pro campaign, they were able to get him to re-sign on a 1 year deal worth 2.62m Signing Araiza could simply be posturing on KC's end. Make him believe they have an option in house to replace him come negotiations. I doubt he wants to leave Kansas City to begin with.

That's why you don't see a big time FA WR on the list. Guys like Noah Brown and Josh Reynolds are inexpensive veterans who have done some good things and have some upside coming here and playing with Josh. But they aren't going to be WR2. Or come close to the cost of Gabe Davis. They'd be replacing guys like Sherfield and Harty and surely, couldn't provide less. I like Noah Brown quite a bit. Young, had 1 year with an actual QB and did some good things - but was limited working behind Nico Collins and Tank Dell. Could end up being a steal. Partnered with Diggs, Shakir, Kincaid, and a Round 1 WR like Thomas Jr., Legette, Franklin, or Coleman - we could be in real good shape.

If they re-sign Tommy Townsend to a guaranteed contract, Araiza will most likely just be a Camp Leg. I'd wait until we see what they do with their All Pro Punter before freaking out. I don't think anyone signing Araiza right now are just handing him the job. He's a reclamation project at this point.

Doubtful any. With the situation we're in cap wise, we don't want to be taking on contracts that have already been written. We'll be Drafting guys and/or signing guys that we can fully structure the contracts to our liking on. But I don't see giving up Draft picks and taking on someone else's vet contract at the same time. You shouldn't want that anyways. Greatly decreases your chance of a 1st Round WR. I don't see him giving up a high-mid Round pick for a solid WR and cap space we need to fill other holes and then turn around and use the 1 on another WR too.

That's because we're Drafting WR2. Not signing them. A really good veteran WR2 will cost more than we can afford right now.

Tom and Brandon have an amazing chemistry together creating content. Both just seem like great guys.

That's certainly up for debate and there's no telling what the future holds. But he wasn't just the most productive Rookie. He was FAR and AWAY the most productive. Putting up 1486 yards. The next closest Rookie WR (Rashee Rice) put up 936 yards. That's a massive differential. Even if he'd be WR3 in a Re-Draft - the point remains the same. The Draft is a crap shoot. And it's possible to Draft a guy in Round 1 and Round 4 (or a trade up in Round 3) and end up just as well off, if not better, than a Double Down in Round 1 or Round 1 and 2. Especially so when you take into account Option 2 costs us Stefon Diggs, in his scenario.

Anthony's Top Bills Targets: 1.) DE Jonathan Greenard - Houston Texans 2.) DT Sheldon Rankins - Houston Texans 3.) DT Daquan Jones - Buffalo Bills 4.) S Jeremy Chinn - Carolina Panthers 5.) WR Noah Brown - Houston Texans 6.) S Brandon Jones - Miami Dolphins 7.) DT A'Shawn Robinson - New York Giants 8.) DT Malcolm Roach - New Orleans Saints Erik's Top Bills Targets: 1.) DT Daquan Jones - Buffalo Bills 2.) DT Malcolm Roach - New Orleans Saints 3.) S Alohi Gilman - LA Chargers 4.) WR Josh Reynolds - Detroit Lions 5.) DE Tyquan Lewis - Indianapolis Colts 6.) S Brandon Jones - Miami Dolphins 7.) WR Noah Brown - Houston Texans 8.) DT Austin Johnson - LA Chargers Interesting to me to see them share half of their lists. Great breakdown of some realistic fits for us when it comes to money and scheme.

These Rookies aren't sure things. We could easily be like the Titans. Trading a quality vet WR (AJ Brown) and getting a bust in return (Treylon Burks). Or we could move Diggs and end up with this year's Quentin Johnston. Or we could keep Diggs, take a guy like Thomas Jr., Legette, Franklin, or Coleman - and then come back in the later Rounds and land a guy who ends up being better than someone who was drafted higher. I know you're obsessed with the guys in the first 2 Rounds. But quality Rookies are often found later. The best WR in the Draft last year went in Round 5, while others drafted in the First 2 Rounds were underwhelming. And this year with the quality of class and depth, guys taken in later rounds would probably be taken a Round earlier in a normal year. Just because they look amazing in highlights doesn't make them guarantees. And Diggs with Allen FINALLY having someone on the other side who can take coverage away, in my mind, has way more of a chance to pay dividends next year then adding another Rookie in Round 1 or 2 instead of later in Round 3 or 4. And in turn, leaving Allen with only 1 WR he's ever thrown a pass to.

Well, you know, if we pay them 35 cents in Year 1 and add 72 void years....

That's fair. But I was merely responding to the point that our line was "perfectly" healthy.

I think I've replied to this before. While the sentiment that our DL didn't get pressure is fair - the "perfectly healthy" is not entirely accurate. - Von Miller was not perfectly healthy all season. He, like Tre before him, was not close to himself upon returning from the ACL. - Leonard Floyd was reportedly pretty banged up down the stretch. - Daquan Jones was not the same guy he was when he came off IR. As Joe Buscaglia put it, he was "essentially playing with one arm". - Jordan Phillips was lost for the year. Relatively healthy? Maybe. "Perfectly" healthy? No. And with the guys we had playing injured or out completely at LB and CB - he was able to get the ball out fairly quickly on the regular, making it hard to get home. And if AD Mitchell is available to Draft in Round 5 like Shorter was - by all means, take him.

I don't see it as a possibility. The only way I see us going DE is if there was an all time high run on WR's wherein a total of 7 (my current number of 1st Round caliber Outside WR's that I think Beane would consider) are taken before pick 28 and it causes a DE that should have been taken LONG before 28 is still on the board sticking out like a sore thumb. But even then, that would mean Franklin wouldn't be available for KC. Though there is a very real possibility that Beane prefers a different WR to Franklin and chooses them instead, with Franklin then falling to KC.

Steve Smith called Adonai Mitchell a "90% Body Catcher". Looking at some of his highlights, I see what he means. Bit of a turnoff for me. Though, look at that, Xavier Legette with a much lower drop rate than Franklin and Coleman. The more and more I read and see, the more and more he's becoming my odds on favorite to wear Red, White, and Blue.

So the Texans move to +1000 The odds of him remaining on the Bills? -300 Hit me up when that changes. The Kansas City Chiefs have the best odds (HA!) of any team beyond the Bills. And even they're 10-1 odds in favor of him staying here over them. Furthermore, I'd figure you of all people would realize how useless betting odds are on potential trades. I seem to recall you getting all excited that we were the favorites to trade for Davante Adams. I'll say the same now that I told you then - "Vegas Odds mean nothing".

They take bets for EVERYTHING. Of course they'd take bets on this. Place bets on what team Diggs is going to. Oh, he didn't go to any of them? Cool - we get all the money. C'mon, we're really using Vegas odds makers as a smoking gun now? Do you have have any idea how many players who aren't traded have this pop up every year? They made a killing on Davante Adams last year.

Save for a situation where Diggs goes nuclear, I really don't see a situation where it happens in the current landscape. Regardless of how you and others twist things, there's more holes in the scenario of him being moved that make it way more unlikely to happen than you guys want to give it credit for. The emotional aspect isn't about the player. It's about the nonstop arguing that not only should it happen, there's more reasons to do it than reasons not. And I just don't see that being remotely accurate.

I think for my own sanity, I just need to have the resolve to stay off this thread.

I've said it once, I'll say it a million times - even in the (at best) extremely unlikely scenario we move Diggs - there's no way we'd move him to Houston. Houston was in the final 4 in the AFC. Just like we were. They are a direct competitor with us. We would not help them build their roster to compete with us harder. Josh Allen had multiple interviews where he was asked about Diggs. He could have said nothing at all. He could have said as little as possible. He chose to elaborate how important Diggs is to him, how much he loves him, and how much he wants him to stay with him. Likewise, Diggs called Josh Allen his brother, his family for life, and also said he doesn't want to go anywhere. Those things fly in the face of your theories to move him COMPLETELY. Yet you're still on it. You keep saying 'IF' to things that have been publicly addressed to not exist. And Pegula doesn't SAVE a bucket of physical cash cutting him. He COSTS a bucket of cash for the right to spend even MORE cash, on lesser players. It's not even close to 60/40 on the likelihood of what you're misguidedly hoping for. I know you're infatuated with this years Draft Class. There's some good looking players in there. And we're going to get one of the best ones. But your obsession with getting two of them, at the cost of a player that Josh Allen himself says "helped make him who he is" - is extremely short sighted.

Yeah, no. This goes back to what I was saying. You and others view it as "we're paying it either way, so what does it matter?" That's not how teams think. Money, whether it's cap or not, is money being paid.They think "we're paying it whether he's here or not, so why wouldn't we just keep him?" All year long, during the Offseason, during the season, and after the season - it was the same refrain. "We need a true #2 for Josh so that he's not relying exclusively on Diggs". It didn't happen. Some guys stepped up in the Slot, but when Davis fell off a cliff and especially when he was out of the lineup completely - we saw Diggs' production fall. That wasn't a coincidence. As teams, who already blanketed him, could afford to cover him even harder. So now that we are going to provide both he and Allen with help, why would we now get rid of him? He could have a renaissance with another playmaker taking pressure off him. Even with the "drop off", he still was top 10 in Receptions at the end of the year. Still top half of the league in yardage. He didn't just go from what he was putting up throughout his career and the first half of the season to completely done. You mention a fresh start for Allen. But he doesn't want that. He's been asked multiple times this offseason and he's said the same thing - he loves Diggs. He doesn't want him to go anywhere. He sees much more on the horizon for them. Long story short, we're paying him a ton of money either way. So if you're doing that either way, you keep him. There's a GREAT chance that he'll be able to do more with a playmaker alongside him and won't be worked down to the wick by the end of the year, and Josh Allen doesn't want it.

I've got some real trauma when it comes to the idea of Drafting a DE from Penn State....

Not sure all the specifics. But no team is paying 18m in Dead Cap for 9m in Cap Space. And Diggs is worth way more than 9m in Cap Space. You won't get near a WR of Diggs' caliber for 9m. Let alone also taking 18m in Dead Cap on top of it.

18.14 in Dead Cap on a pre 6/1 Trade. The way I see it, any way you slice it, we're paying +18m for him in Dead Cap or Salary. https://overthecap.com/player/stefon-diggs/3994

I maintain that when it comes to non-cap guarantees, fans like to look at it that it doesn't matter. It's just ignored. It does matter. Cap hit or not, 18.5 million dollars is still 18.5 million dollars. And that is guaranteed to him on 3/17. Teams don't pay a player that much money, cap or no cap, to not be there. Save for some multi 1st Round QB Trade or something.