Incognito's Retirement? [update: Now Released]

[vincec]

2 hours ago, Mopreme said:

Why would the Bills release him fron the retired list?  Any benefit for the Bills?  If not then they should have kept him there for back so he cannot play for anyone else. 

Out of spite? They did the right thing IMO. Just cut him and move on. He is a 34 years old interior offensive lineman but if he thinks he can find a big $ deal then go for it. It sounds like he basically changed his mind about taking a pay cut and would rather try his luck in the open market. To bad he felt that he had to lie in order to do so, but I guess that's par for the course these days.

[bopper2]

The Bills just made a significant investment in a rookie, who they hope will be the face of the franchise for a decade or more. They have to do every thing possible to provide him with an environment conducive to his rapid development as a quality NFL starter.

Maybe they thought Richie and his somewhat unstable offseason, and his history are not what they want in that environment. So when Richie says he wants to continue playing, they decided to let him do it elsewhere.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

8 minutes ago, THE SLAMMER said:

My guess is Brandon Beane negotiated his release. I doubt the Bills agreed to lose 1.5 mil just to be nice

 

The Bills certainly got something in return

 

My guess would be the ability to match

 

Or maybe they got $1.15M dollars.  “We release you now so you get your best chance, you quietly repay your prorated bonus.  Otherwise we hang onto you and you can work through the medical exams with our team physicians carefully checking out your liver and kidneys to see if you belong on PUP or NFI”

[SmokinES3]

2 minutes ago, LABillzFan said:

 

I've regretted plenty, and once I was an adult, I stopped blaming others for my regrets.

 

That's what an adult does. Admit a mistake, then doesn't make it again.

 

An adult does not regret a mistake, go batschitt crazy on social media, whine, cry, and throw a temper tantrum until mommy and daddy give him a freaking lollipop.

 

You desperately sound like a person who is cheering against the organization. I can promise you one thing: based on the body of work put forth so far, there will never be a day when a whiny-ass child like Incognito outsmarts McBeane. Not today. Not ever. Incognito is a lot of things, but smart isn't one of them.

 

He actually is extremely intelligent and well spoken. Very obvious in interviews.

[vincec]

43 minutes ago, K-9 said:

He not only refused, he didn’t even bother to answer his phone the entire offseason when the team tried calling him numerous times. And to top it off, he screwed his teammates and the fans, by showing up grossly out of shape after skipping camp. He was the picture of unprofessionalism. 

 

Yes, it was a damned shame we couldn’t find a way to keep a future HOF player. And we definitely screwed the pooch in many aspects of the relationship. But it takes two and he made it clear he wanted out the entire time. And why? Because the Bills had the temerity to ask him to own up to the deal he had only recently renegotiated? 

Peters was an immensely talented player, but consider the message it would have sent to the rest of the team if you resigned him after he basically shafted the team by showing up out of shape as a renegotiation ploy to get a new contract two years early after one season at LT? I'll be honest, no way I would have kept him.

Edited May 22, 2018 by vincec

[GETTOTHE50]

RIchie was awesome the past three seasons.

 

But the guy obviously does not know what he wants to do. He changes his mind too often.

 

Which is most likely why the Bills ultimately released him. You cant have someone taking key reps all offseason if they are only going to retire halfway through the season. 

[Peter]

21 minutes ago, LABillzFan said:

 

I've regretted plenty, and once I was an adult, I stopped blaming others for my regrets.

 

That's what an adult does. Admit a mistake, then doesn't make it again.

 

An adult does not regret a mistake, go batschitt crazy on social media, whine, cry, and throw a temper tantrum until mommy and daddy give him a freaking lollipop.

 

You desperately sound like a person who is cheering against the organization. I can promise you one thing: based on the body of work put forth so far, there will never be a day when a whiny-ass child like Incognito outsmarts McBeane. Not today. Not ever. Incognito is a lot of things, but smart isn't one of them.

 

 

 

Cheering against the Bills?!? My argument is that I think the Bills would be better if we kept our best offensive lineman.  To me, that sounds like I am taking a good faith position promoting the best interests of the Bills and, in particular, the QB and Shady who will have to play behind this line.

 

As for who outsmarted whom:

Incognito got his release and got to keep his bonus.  In other words, he got what he wanted.  If you want to call this a win for McBeane, that is your certainly your prerogative. 

[JerseyBills]

11 minutes ago, HardyBoy said:

Poor choice to merge the Incognito Released thread into this. I came to the board tonight for that headline, and it's missing. 

 

If anything the title of the thread should have been updated pre-merge. Just my constructive criticism...people use this board as a news source (I know I do), and the choice to merge does that objective a disservice.

I agree.

The news was all over my Google feed,where I get my news, came here to get the inside details and was confused because I didn't see that headline.

[Turk71]

Can anyone explain why the Bills would release him? He is under contract, why not just trade him if he still wants to play? 

[1st Ammendment NoMas]

This is a stupid, stupid move. We had leverage and should have used it. If he wanted to play again for another team, we should have gotten something. We made Boldin sit for a year, why not Richie. We don't even get a compensatory pick for this. Just a bad, bad decision.

[Mopreme]

Since they technically released him, the Bills cannot recoup the bonus money they paid him.  I still don't understand why they would release him?  Absolutely no benefit.  Why not trade him and if they cannot find any takers (which is probably the case) then just keep him tucked away on the reserve/retired list, who cares about doing the right thing for this guy?   

[HardyBoy]

1 minute ago, Mopreme said:

Since they technically released him, the Bills cannot recoup the bonus money they paid him.  I still don't understand why they would release him?  Absolutely no benefit.  Why not trade him and if they cannot find any takers (which is probably the case) then just keep him tucked away on the reserve/retired list, who cares about doing the right thing for this guy?   

 

Whaley?

 

Potential free agents, current players, past players, nflpa, fans...is that enough groups of people who would care about doing the right thing by him?

[boyst]

My And researched educated "guess" is this.

 

Ritchie wants to play football. He is also getting older and knows he needs to cash out. But he wants to play football and Hates the other bull **** that comes with playing in the NFL. His time away will potentially get him to refocus and maybe try a comeback again

 

Those that knew him knew when he was away last time the biggest reason he came back so strong was she was hungry and could focus on the game and playing the kids sport he loved.

 

4 years in this go round he is tired of the same BS that makes football not fun.

[YoloinOhio]

7 minutes ago, BillsRdue said:

This is a stupid, stupid move. We had leverage and should have used it. If he wanted to play again for another team, we should have gotten something. We made Boldin sit for a year, why not Richie. We don't even get a compensatory pick for this. Just a bad, bad decision.

This implies another team is willing to give up something for him. 

[Da webster guy]

45 minutes ago, JerseyBills said:

I agree.

The news was all over my Google feed,where I get my news, came here to get the inside details and was confused because I didn't see that headline.

I'm with you guys.  Delete the stupid Richie retired thread and start a new one.  So annoying to have to page through months old posts because God forbid we can't have two threads on the same guy.

In other news, why did we release him and give the guy a free $mil and potentially have to play against him again.

Beane says all moves are to make the team better, this doesn't pass the smell test.

[The Jokeman]

I'm guessing the Bills did Ritchie a solid and cut him. I can't see why he'd just walk away from us unless it was because Eric Wood retired as know the two of them were really close. Ultimately I think it is medically related and he likely can't play anymore hence his filing for retirement etc. and we cut him so he could keep the money and help our cap and maybe add a few guys after June 1.

[Da webster guy]

14 minutes ago, HardyBoy said:

 

Whaley?

 

Potential free agents, current players, past players, nflpa, fans...is that enough groups of people who would care about doing the right thing by him?

Wait.  He signed a contract and then quit before he fulfilled it.  Are you saying he deserves the free $mil?  He got paid in full last year, that's doing the right thing.  Awarding roster bonus money to a retired player isn't a precedent any team would set

55 minutes ago, Peter said:

 

 

Cheering against the Bills?!? My argument is that I think the Bills would be better if we kept our best offensive lineman.  To me, that sounds like I am taking a good faith position promoting the best interests of the Bills and, in particular, the QB and Shady who will have to play behind this line.

 

As for who outsmarted whom:

Incognito got his release and got to keep his bonus.  In other words, he got what he wanted.  If you want to call this a win for McBeane, that is your certainly your prerogative. 

Dawk is our best lineman, and was for the 2nd half of last year.  Richie is good but Dawk is great.

[Nick the Greek]

31 minutes ago, Da webster guy said:

I'm with you guys.  Delete the stupid Richie retired thread and start a new one.  So annoying to have to page through months old posts because God forbid we can't have two threads on the same guy.

In other news, why did we release him and give the guy a free $mil and potentially have to play against him again.

Beane says all moves are to make the team better, this doesn't pass the smell test.

Are there any posters out there that like wading through 29 pages, going back months? Yea, they are obnoxious! 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

5 hours ago, Cheektowaga Chad said:

Wonder if he thought something was gonna come out about the alleged incident in Jacksonville. He proceeds to retire to keep his current imagine as clean as possible to get a job in broadcasting

 

Except that I think his Twitter meltdown would rather tarnish his image with NFL-type broadcasting (since it's click-o-genic some media would  it)

 

[HardyBoy]

47 minutes ago, Da webster guy said:

Wait.  He signed a contract and then quit before he fulfilled it.  Are you saying he deserves the free $mil?  He got paid in full last year, that's doing the right thing.  Awarding roster bonus money to a retired player isn't a precedent any team would set

 

We don't know all the details on the situation. If he plays for someone else it's interesting, if not, and stays retired then it changes things. I don't think you're wrong per se, and mostly the thought of using the Whaley line cracked me up a bit (I know, laughing at my own jokes).

 

It was the absolute nature of the comment though that got that response. There are several potential benefits of the move, depending on the details, which likely will be made clear in time (if he doesn't even try to play, or tries and fails a physical, etc.).

[apuszczalowski]

Doesn't anyone remember Richies past?

 

Bills probably figured letting him go was safer for all the people in the building then keeping him on the retired list and risking pissing him off and coming back to the offices........

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, Boyst62 said:

My And researched educated "guess" is this.

 

Ritchie wants to play football. He is also getting older and knows he needs to cash out. But he wants to play football and Hates the other bull **** that comes with playing in the NFL. His time away will potentially get him to refocus and maybe try a comeback again

 

Those that knew him knew when he was away last time the biggest reason he came back so strong was she was hungry and could focus on the game and playing the kids sport he loved.

 

4 years in this go round he is tired of the same BS that makes football not fun.

 

Boyst do you think he'll try to play somewhere else this year?

[IDBillzFan]

1 hour ago, Peter said:

 

 

Cheering against the Bills?!? My argument is that I think the Bills would be better if we kept our best offensive lineman.  To me, that sounds like I am taking a good faith position promoting the best interests of the Bills and, in particular, the QB and Shady who will have to play behind this line.

 

As for who outsmarted whom:

Incognito got his release and got to keep his bonus.  In other words, he got what he wanted.  If you want to call this a win for McBeane, that is your certainly your prerogative. 

 

Sometimes, it's not what you get but how you go about getting it that matters.

 

Alternately, it's not what you give, but how you go about giving it.

 

Say what you will about Incognito's ability to play, his instability makes this addition by subtraction. He will not be the missing link in a great line. He'll be a missing link in a bad line. With pretty much a new everything on offense, including coaches, quarterbacks, running backs, etc. The Bills were right and gracious to set him free.

 

 

[Formerly Allan in MD]

Back to the Bills with a revised/new, lower priced contract?

[Lfod]

5 minutes ago, LABillzFan said:

 

Sometimes, it's not what you get but how you go about getting it that matters.

 

Alternately, it's not what you give, but how you go about giving it.

 

Say what you will about Incognito's ability to play, his instability makes this addition by subtraction. He will not be the missing link in a great line. He'll be a missing link in a bad line. With pretty much a new everything on offense, including coaches, quarterbacks, running backs, etc. The Bills were right and gracious to set him free.

 

 

People are taking it hard. I feel sorry for them. They do not understand the new culture yet. They are not used to being winners yet. They are stuck back in the drought mentality of holding on to things that make them think the team is a little better when it wasn't. 

Edited May 22, 2018 by Lfod

[benderbender]

Emotions aside, what how does this move benefit the franchise? Was retaining his bonus money the only benefit?

[The Red King]

...and when he signs with the Pats?  I was hoping for a shaky line in front of Brady.  That team catches all the breaks.  >.<

 

This makes no sense.

[Logic]

I can't see how this is so hard for people to understand.

Beane and McDermott value chemistry and culture above all else. They have shown that they will not hesitate to get rid of ANYONE who they don't think will positively contribute to the chemistry and culture of the locker room.

Richie Incognito, with his erratic behavior, sudden instability, and the drama that his "I'm retired, no I'm not, I want my release, can I come back?" routine was creating, became a threat to the chemistry and culture that Beane and McDermott wanted to build. They thus decided that the best move was to get rid of him, even if it meant "giving him what he wants" and losing some bonus money. People thinking we were going to get a trade asset in return for a 34-year-old guard who has recently displayed erratic behavior are dreaming. I believe that Beane assessed that the tiny silver of potential of getting a 2019 7th round pick in exchange for this guy was not worth the headaches he was beginning to create. 

As to the notion of holding on to Incognito's rights so that his only options are retire or play for the Bills. Why? It was one thing with Boldin, who agreed to play for the Bills, then 10 days into camp retired, then asked if he could be let out of his contract. Beane felt burned by Boldin's failure to honor his commitment and reacted accordingly. With Richie, he had three good years with the Bills and was a key part of their playoff season. Why hold him hostage? Especially given the aforementioned headaches he is creating.

Sometimes, addition by subtraction is necessary to maintain intangible qualities like chemistry and culture. I believe this is one of those cases.

Edited May 22, 2018 by Logic

[HardyBoy]

4 minutes ago, Logic said:

Sometimes, addition by subtraction is necessary to maintain intangible qualities like chemistry and culture. I believe this is one of those cases.

 

Nice post.

 

Anyone know how this plays into comp picks compared to him retiring? If he signs somewhere and say makes the pro bowl, what happens?

[Richard Noggin]

5 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

I would assume there are agent ramifications

I've been wondering about the upside of granting him his release, from the team's perspective. 

 

Your suggestion is interesting: maintain honorable relations with player agents for the sake of future operations. Makes some sense.

[Logic]

1 minute ago, Richard Noggin said:

I've been wondering about the upside of granting him his release, from the team's perspective. 

 

Your suggestion is interesting: maintain honorable relations with player agents for the sake of future operations. Makes some sense.

After not letting Boldin out of his contract last year, Beane not letting Richie out of HIS contract this year would have been a bad look for the Bills.

 

[B Fan in LA]

8 hours ago, THE SLAMMER said:

9 hours ago, teef said:

i mean, he could have refused the pay cut.  no one had a gun to his head.  

 

How do you know this?

 

I can't believe I'm reading this................Is that really how Russ Brandon got concessionary deals ?

They must have also tied him up on a strong back chair, because Richie ain't afraid of nobody........

 

[Kelly the Dog]

14 minutes ago, Logic said:

I can't see how this is so hard for people to understand.

Beane and McDermott value chemistry and culture above all else. They have shown that they will not hesitate to get rid of ANYONE who they don't think will positively contribute to the chemistry and culture of the locker room.

Richie Incognito, with his erratic behavior, sudden instability, and the drama that his "I'm retired, no I'm not, I want my release, can I come back?" routine was creating, became a threat to the chemistry and culture that Beane and McDermott wanted to build. They thus decided that the best move was to get rid of him, even if it meant "giving him what he wants" and losing some bonus money. People thinking we were going to get a trade asset in return for a 34-year-old guard who has recently displayed erratic behavior are dreaming. I believe that Beane assessed that the tiny silver of potential of getting a 2019 7th round pick in exchange for this guy was not worth the headaches he was beginning to create. 

As to the notion of holding on to Incognito's rights so that his only options are retire or play for the Bills. Why? It was one thing with Boldin, who agreed to play for the Bills, then 10 days into camp retired, then asked if he could be let out of his contract. Beane felt burned by Boldin's failure to honor his commitment and reacted accordingly. With Richie, he had three good years with the Bills and was a key part of their playoff season. Why hold him hostage? Especially given the aforementioned headaches he is creating.

Sometimes, addition by subtraction is necessary to maintain intangible qualities like chemistry and culture. I believe this is one of those cases.

So what happens when Jerry Hughes decides he doesn’t want to play for the Bills anymore. He wants to play for the Pats. He throws a fit and retires. They just let him do it?

[Logic]

27 minutes ago, Kelly the Dog said:

So what happens when Jerry Hughes decides he doesn’t want to play for the Bills anymore. He wants to play for the Pats. He throws a fit and retires. They just let him do it?

That depends. In your hypothetical, Is Jerry Hughes 34 years old with a history of mental instability and recent displays of erratic behavior that threaten to bring unneeded drama to a developing locker room? 

And did I miss where Incognito signed with the Patriots? 

 

Edited May 22, 2018 by Logic

[B Fan in LA]

 

Who's the cat that walks about when there's danger all about?

He's a complicated man, but no one understands him but his woman..................

He's a bad Mother...................

 

[Peter]

1 hour ago, Logic said:

I can't see how this is so hard for people to understand.

Beane and McDermott value chemistry and culture above all else. 
 

 

 

Chemistry

[dollars 2 donuts]

12 hours ago, JohnC said:

Do you know the person who is the most happy that he was represented by Parker? Jason Peters. He ended up with a contract commensurate with his talents, having a long career with a team where when it is over with he will be under consideration for the HOF and to top it off he has a Super Bowl ring on his finger. For those people who believe that an agent should work in the interest of a team at the expense of the player they are representing I say they are being illogical and not understanding that the NFL is a business. 

 

To put things in perspective with respect to the trading of Jason Peters it is going to go down in its inglorious history of being one of the dumbest decisions that this organization has made. This team willingly  paid out gargantuan contracts to wretchedly mediocre players such as Derrick Dockery and Langston Walker but traded a player that they drafted and developed because they didn't want to pay him what he was worth. Stupidity at a stupendous level. 

 

 

Truer words may have been spoken before...but I just can't think of them right now.

 

so let's just go with every word you said.

 

The justifications made over the years for trading away what even then seemed like a future hall of famer have been mind boggling.

Edited May 22, 2018 by dollars 2 donuts

[Buffalo Barbarian]

This sucks, they shouldn't have low balled Ritchie. He was playing at a pro bowl level and they want him to take a pay cut?! I don't blame him for retiring, hope he goes to the super bowl winner.

 

 

[MrEpsYtown]

3 hours ago, HardyBoy said:

 

Nice post.

 

Anyone know how this plays into comp picks compared to him retiring? If he signs somewhere and say makes the pro bowl, what happens?

 

Nothing. Released players do not factor into comp pick formula. Just free agents whose contract has expired. 

[Spiderweb]

1 hour ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

This sucks, they shouldn't have low balled Ritchie. He was playing at a pro bowl level and they want him to take a pay cut?! I don't blame him for retiring, hope he goes to the super bowl winner.

 

+1