zazie Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I think we need to have all three rewarded with new deals prior to training camp.. byrd and Levitre just so they do not get anywhere close to free agency, and Freddie as a show of good faith to a deserving player who is a team player, a leader, and one heck of a performer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnbillsbacker Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I think this is the order. 1) Byrd: The nfl is now more than ever a passing league. 2) Levitre: I love the bills ability to rush the ball 3) Jackson: If Byrd and Levitre get resigned soon I will feel relieved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zazie Posted March 11, 2012 Author Share Posted March 11, 2012 I think this is the order. 1) Byrd: The nfl is now more than ever a passing league. 2) Levitre: I love the bills ability to rush the ball 3) Jackson: If Byrd and Levitre get resigned soon I will feel relieved. Jackson has said very publicly that Nix promised him a new contract during this off season. If that should fail to happen I think the resentment would be very high and not just from Freddie but from others on the team, and likely a few fans as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvermike Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 We need to keep all three, order doesn't matter. And given Buddy's work this week, I'm confident we'll get it done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zazie Posted March 11, 2012 Author Share Posted March 11, 2012 And what salary levels are appropriate? Levitre should get top 10 guard money, Byrd top 10 safety money, and fredex, the same as now but with a nice signing bonus, IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Word is that they're working on extensions for all three. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoretalk Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I think we need to have all three rewarded with new deals prior to training camp.. byrd and Levitre just so they do not get anywhere close to free agency, and Freddie as a show of good faith to a deserving player who is a team player, a leader, and one heck of a performer. Agreed! Freddie is the 'heart and soul' of the offense in addition to being our main weapon. Nix has already promised to get the extension done and that should be done before training camp. In my mind Levitre should be next both because of his non-stop improvement as a pro but also for his ability to play each line position. I think he is almost playing at a Pro-Bowl level now and might have made some post season lists if we didn't need him playing tackle and center this past season. The change in our D philosophy and coaching and if we add a pass rushing specialist will allow Byrd to get better. If we see the Bills getting extensions done before having to walk to the edge with the players they have developed it will be a sign that this is truly a new Bills' way of life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonborn10 Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 At some point tough decisions will need to be made. Nix should have extended Stevie or Jackson during the season so he couls have applied that money to 2011. Now he may be in a tight spot with Freddie especially if he breaks the bank on a FA. But as another poster stated, Nix basically promised it will get done and he will lose the team (fan base as well but we don't matter) if he stiffs Freddie. Of the three however Levitre is most important to the long term success of the team. Hard to tell if Byrd is special or not. Rookie year was a wet dream of overthrown passes. Last two years are the great unknown. The defense could not stop the run in 2010 so little reason for teams to pass and there was even less pass rush in 2011 than 2010. Tough call. Wouldn't shock me if Byrd is the odd man out maybe with Wilson moving to FS and Searcy to SS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 At some point tough decisions will need to be made. Nix should have extended Stevie or Jackson during the season so he couls have applied that money to 2011. Now he may be in a tight spot with Freddie especially if he breaks the bank on a FA. But as another poster stated, Nix basically promised it will get done and he will lose the team (fan base as well but we don't matter) if he stiffs Freddie. Of the three however Levitre is most important to the long term success of the team. Hard to tell if Byrd is special or not. Rookie year was a wet dream of overthrown passes. Last two years are the great unknown. The defense could not stop the run in 2010 so little reason for teams to pass and there was even less pass rush in 2011 than 2010. Tough call. Wouldn't shock me if Byrd is the odd man out maybe with Wilson moving to FS and Searcy to SS. It takes two to tango, and it has been widely reported that both SJ and Jackson chose to walk away from talks in 2011. Nix cant FORCE anything to happen. It's not all on him. I also disagree that he will "lose the team" over 1 contract negotiation with a 30+ year old RB. Especially after he has already doled out big contracts to K Williams, Fitz, and Johnson. If he extends Byrd and Levitre (who are MUCH MORE important than Jackson) then that will be 5 successful vs 1 that didnt pan out. Nix has already proven he is willing to talk with Jackson. If it doesnt work out, the players are professional enough to understand the business and have already seen plenty of examples of the FO keeping their guys. The only people gnashing their teeth about it, are the fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonborn10 Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 It takes two to tango, and it has been widely reported that both SJ and Jackson chose to walk away from talks in 2011. Nix cant FORCE anything to happen. It's not all on him. I also disagree that he will "lose the team" over 1 contract negotiation with a 30+ year old RB. Especially after he has already doled out big contracts to K Williams, Fitz, and Johnson. If he extends Byrd and Levitre (who are MUCH MORE important than Jackson) then that will be 5 successful vs 1 that didnt pan out. Nix has already proven he is willing to talk with Jackson. If it doesnt work out, the players are professional enough to understand the business and have already seen plenty of examples of the FO keeping their guys. The only people gnashing their teeth about it, are the fans. Fair enough. Maybe I was a bit over dramatic saying he would lose the team... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdogtim Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 He's old enough to forget where he left it, but I highly doubt he will lose it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nostradamus Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Jackson has said very publicly that Nix promised him a new contract during this off season. If that should fail to happen I think the resentment would be very high and not just from Freddie but from others on the team, and likely a few fans as well. I agree with you in principle, but Freddy has to be reasonable as well. Over the course of the next three years, I think we will start to see Freddy become more of a role player as CJ continues to develop and Freddy continues to age. I think that transition may happen sooner rather than later, though Freddy has made a career of defying the odds and exceeding expectations. Even if Freddy's production begins to decline, he provides intangibles and is an excellent leader and person. I have no problem with rewarding Freddy even with the uncertainty of his future role with the team... within reason. It cannot be at the expense of locking up Byrd, Levitre, and hopefully Wood if he recovers from injury as the core of the team, all coming up on their second contracts. Something along the lines of a two year extension, which locks him up for 3 years, where he makes about 4 million per with most or all of the money guaranteed would seem to be fair for both sides. I'd throw in a couple million more per year for incentives, such as surpassing 1,000 yards or scoring 10 touchdowns or more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I agree with you in principle, but Freddy has to be reasonable as well. Over the course of the next three years, I think we will start to see Freddy become more of a role player as CJ continues to develop and Freddy continues to age. I think that transition may happen sooner rather than later, though Freddy has made a career of defying the odds and exceeding expectations. Even if Freddy's production begins to decline, he provides intangibles and is an excellent leader and person. I have no problem with rewarding Freddy even with the uncertainty of his future role with the team... within reason. It cannot be at the expense of locking up Byrd, Levitre, and hopefully Wood if he recovers from injury as the core of the team, all coming up on their second contracts. Something along the lines of a two year extension, which locks him up for 3 years, where he makes about 4 million per with most or all of the money guaranteed would seem to be fair for both sides. I'd throw in a couple million more per year for incentives, such as surpassing 1,000 yards or scoring 10 touchdowns or more. Sounds like a very good plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExWNYer Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I agree with you in principle, but Freddy has to be reasonable as well. Over the course of the next three years, I think we will start to see Freddy become more of a role player as CJ continues to develop and Freddy continues to age. I think that transition may happen sooner rather than later, though Freddy has made a career of defying the odds and exceeding expectations. Even if Freddy's production begins to decline, he provides intangibles and is an excellent leader and person. I have no problem with rewarding Freddy even with the uncertainty of his future role with the team... within reason. It cannot be at the expense of locking up Byrd, Levitre, and hopefully Wood if he recovers from injury as the core of the team, all coming up on their second contracts. Something along the lines of a two year extension, which locks him up for 3 years, where he makes about 4 million per with most or all of the money guaranteed would seem to be fair for both sides. I'd throw in a couple million more per year for incentives, such as surpassing 1,000 yards or scoring 10 touchdowns or more. Agreed, Nos. Nice take on the situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
808 Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 depends on what is spent this year in free agency. i would love it if they have enough to get it applied to the 2012 cap and not 2013. byrd and levitre are 2 guys that deserve it quite a bit. they are big pieces to this team. byrd is one of my fav players on the D his int numbers havent matched his rookie year but his tackling has gotten so much better. and he drops some big hits too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills1960 Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Levitre is my number one priority. We finally have a functional offensive line for the first time in a decade, I don't want that disrupted. He's also one of the most versatile players we've had at any position at any time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickelCity Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 At some point tough decisions will need to be made. Nix should have extended Stevie or Jackson during the season so he couls have applied that money to 2011. Now he may be in a tight spot with Freddie especially if he breaks the bank on a FA. But as another poster stated, Nix basically promised it will get done and he will lose the team (fan base as well but we don't matter) if he stiffs Freddie. Of the three however Levitre is most important to the long term success of the team. Hard to tell if Byrd is special or not. Rookie year was a wet dream of overthrown passes. Last two years are the great unknown. The defense could not stop the run in 2010 so little reason for teams to pass and there was even less pass rush in 2011 than 2010. Tough call. Wouldn't shock me if Byrd is the odd man out maybe with Wilson moving to FS and Searcy to SS. I thought Byrd was fantastic last year. Am I the only one that noticed how he turned into a hitting machine? Wilson and Byrd are an EXCELLENT safety tandem imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 And it is for this reason that I believe D. Bell will NOT be resigned. They are gonna want to keep guys like our byrd, levitre, and jackson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 And it is for this reason that I believe D. Bell will NOT be resigned. They are gonna want to keep guys like our byrd, levitre, and jackson The cap isn't a hindrance. What will prevent Bell from being re-signed is the Bills don't want to commit a ton of money to an oft-injured LT, and the market for LT's will be bad, with only Gaither being an option, and the Chargers want to re-sign him and he'd likely re-sign with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdand12 Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 (edited) I thought Byrd was fantastic last year. Am I the only one that noticed how he turned into a hitting machine? Wilson and Byrd are an EXCELLENT safety tandem imo. No you are not the only one. Wilson and Byrd ARE as good as i could hope. They were exciting to watch. I hope they look even better under Wannstche. Byrd and Levitre are our long term guys and should be no questions asked. Fred was promised to have a deal by camp. he will get paid. He should get rewarded with guaranteed money but nothing crazy. He knows he will be passing the torch soon enough. just give him his just due. Edited March 11, 2012 by 3rdand12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artmalibu Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 If we extend everyone contract now there will be no money to get anyone in free agents. They told fred that they would get him taken care of so they should try. As for the other guys wait till the middle of next year and then make the deals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanInUticaTampa Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 If we extend everyone contract now there will be no money to get anyone in free agents. They told fred that they would get him taken care of so they should try. As for the other guys wait till the middle of next year and then make the deals. This. No need to rush into these other guys, except Fred. The other guys can wait until next time around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zazie Posted March 11, 2012 Author Share Posted March 11, 2012 This. No need to rush into these other guys, except Fred. The other guys can wait until next time around. of course you realize that each game that goes by injury free for these guys makes it more difficult and expensive to sign them? Waiting is a recipe for disaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeverOutNick Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 of course you realize that each game that goes by injury free for these guys makes it more difficult and expensive to sign them? Waiting is a recipe for disaster. Exactly get all 3 done before training camp. Byrd (My favorite Bill) right now is our best player on Defense and Levitre are most versatile OL...They need to be extended ASAP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smears Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I am very happy with our off season moves thus far. Resigning certain players for depth seemed a high priority i.e. Morrison, Martin. Happy to see the resigning of Stevie and Chandler. I feel Chandler has found his home and with Pete M??????????zzzzzz as a coordinator I assume a huge season is in the wait for him. I agree that resigning Jackson even for an additional year or at least a fatter paygrade would be a message to the locker room that their is a new attitude in Buffalo, you produce-we reward. Also, hopefully it will help a FA game changer to come here.... ahh maybe not...... I can actually see the direction we are going finally. Have a good feeling about next year. Especially when the Steelers are cleaning house, Colts are in disarray, the Jets are on the decline, Miami is rebuilding. We seem to have a solid foundation now and a direction. Kind of feels like we are on the up and up for next year. Go Buffalo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missthe kgun Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I think this is the order. 1) Byrd: The nfl is now more than ever a passing league. 2) Levitre: I love the bills ability to rush the ball 3) Jackson: If Byrd and Levitre get resigned soon I will feel relieved. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Fred needs a new deal first Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malazan Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Fred is a great guy. He's last on the list though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Andy Levitre - 4yr/$14.25 million (Locked up for the next 4 years.) Fred Jackson - 3yr/$15.75 mil. ($5.5 million signing bonus) Jarius Byrd - 5yr/$28 mil. (id sign Byrd early into next season) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Andy Levitre - 4yr/$14.25 million (Locked up for the next 4 years.) Fred Jackson - 3yr/$15.75 mil. ($5.5 million signing bonus) Jarius Byrd - 5yr/$28 mil. (id sign Byrd early into next season) I like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zazie Posted March 11, 2012 Author Share Posted March 11, 2012 Andy Levitre - 4yr/$14.25 million (Locked up for the next 4 years.) Fred Jackson - 3yr/$15.75 mil. ($5.5 million signing bonus) Jarius Byrd - 5yr/$28 mil. (id sign Byrd early into next season) Levitre will take significantly more to sign i think..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanInUticaTampa Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 of course you realize that each game that goes by injury free for these guys makes it more difficult and expensive to sign them? Waiting is a recipe for disaster. I don't think so. It is just 2 players, and it can't be that hard to do it later. I think signing Stevie and chandler was a tougher job than extending byrd and levitre will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 1) Levitre: No interior line = no offense, period. Keeping him and Wood locked into that line for a long time must be a major priority. 2) Byrd 3) Jackson 2 and 3 are largely based on their respective ages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBuff423 Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Just Levitre and Byrd IMO; love me some Freddie J but he's on the downslope of his career, and giving him a new contract at this point would not benefit the Franchise in the long-run....but Levitre and Byrd need a deal done, but I for one trust Nix to get it done in due time whenever that might be, b/c whatever the debate on this board about Nix getting good FA, one thing he's prove thus far is that he's willing to pay their own Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#34fan Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 of course you realize that each game that goes by injury free for these guys makes it more difficult and expensive to sign them? Waiting is a recipe for disaster. I don't think I'll miss LeVitre or Byrd terribly. Fred, on the other hand.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zazie Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 I don't think I'll miss LeVitre or Byrd terribly. Fred, on the other hand.... That is exactly the right answer! Finally! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T master Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Jackson has said very publicly that Nix promised him a new contract during this off season. If that should fail to happen I think the resentment would be very high and not just from Freddie but from others on the team, and likely a few fans as well. Ya but i think the numbers that Fred is thinking about & the numbers that Buddy may be thinking about might be at total opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to resigning him .. If Fred was 25 he would be getting the top money that the league would offer but seeing as he is going to be 30 he may be a tad late asking for the HUGE contract !! I do think Buddy is a man of his word but it will be interesting to see just how the entire thing goes down !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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