Shaq Lawson Option decision week. What do you do?

[RyanC883]

pick it up.  Worst case is a high-end backup player at a high-end backup price.  He is a VERY good run defender.  he improved last year.  If he improves that much again this year, we will be very happy we extended him.  Plus, he likely puts up great numbers with Oliver taking so much attention.  

7 minutes ago, TC in St. Louis said:

He's had some big hits.  He's super motivated.  Oliver will create more opportunities for him.  Our defense was number 2 in the league with Shaq in the lineup.  Keep him.  His first year was a wash because of the injury.  Nobody got a lot of sacks on this team, but he had some big hits.  Keep him.

 

totally agree with this.  Plus, he was one of our best, if not best, run defenders.  And we need players who can defend the run.  

[BillsFan1988]

1 hour ago, Woodman19 said:

Exactly, you can do better in free agency with $10.2 million than Shaq.  Don't overvalue him just because he's home grown.

10 mil is basically a solid player salary now a days . I think its worth the risk because we can just release him at the end of the season if he doesn't have a serious injury. If he steps his pass rush up to around 8sks and can still be one of the best at DE against the run then he'll be well worth it.  Plus we have to keep that franchise tag available for Jerry . So give him the 5th yr option and hopefully he blows up this yr and we won't have to make a decision on him and Jerry.

Edited April 30, 2019 by BillsFan1988

[bigK14094]

Give him one more year to mature...keep him around.  Let him walk if he doesn't earn the 10 mil in his option year.  He is young, and apparently has finally learned how to be a pro.  Maybe he will be a late bloomer.   terrible Whaley/Ryan pick though....he was not ready.....

[BuffaloRebound]

Is the likelihood of an injury that prevents him from passing a physical higher than the likelihood of him becoming a $10m per year player?  That’s the decision Beane has to make.  

[Freddie's Dead]

I don't pick up the option.  I thought we won the lottery when Shaq dropped to us at 19, but he has not lived up to that first-round billing.  Solid player, but not worth $10M.

[dorquemada]

15 minutes ago, thurst44 said:

And we have the cap room, so it's worth the chance.

 

This is really it.  If we were tight to the cap, then it's probably a no, but in this case, why create a hole just to save Terry a few bucks?  Replacing him in FA would cost way more to get someone that likely isn't going to be much better if at all.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

12 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

I don't pick up the option.  I thought we won the lottery when Shaq dropped to us at 19, but he has not lived up to that first-round billing.  Solid player, but not worth $10M.

 

Isn't it $14M he'd get on the option? 

https://www.profootballrumors.com/2019/04/bills-undecided-on-shaq-lawsons-fifth-year-option

[bmur66]

1 hour ago, Irv said:

Another crappy pick by Whaley.  Shaq is too Chris-Kelsay-ish.  Plays like him.  Even wears the same number.  Has done nothing.  Buy-bye. 

Funny. I was just comparing him to Kelsay in my mind.

[Freddie's Dead]

17 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Isn't it $14M he'd get on the option? 

https://www.profootballrumors.com/2019/04/bills-undecided-on-shaq-lawsons-fifth-year-option

 

Even better.  At $14M, NFW!

[billsbackto81]

No way do they pick up his option at that price. They can probably get Ziggy for that amount. 

[Rob's House]

$14m for 3 years sounds about right.

 

$14m for 1 year is crazy for a 4-3 DE who doesn't get consistent pressure on the QB.

[SCBills]

Trade Shaq and our 2020 1st for Clowney and a mid-round pick.  

 

Zero reason for us to be slotted in the top half of the draft, especially with Clowney on this DL.

 

Edited April 30, 2019 by SCBills

[BillsFan1988]

49 minutes ago, bigK14094 said:

Give him one more year to mature...keep him around.  Let him walk if he doesn't earn the 10 mil in his option year.  He is young, and apparently has finally learned how to be a pro.  Maybe he will be a late bloomer.   terrible Whaley/Ryan pick though....he was not ready.....

I agree , just look at Jerry it took him 4yrs to get his career on track. 

[TN-Bills]

1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

 

i don’t think he’s earned that 5th year money yet but I think he could earn a long term deal this year. If he doesn’t, take the comp pick and move on. 

My thoughts exactly.  I believe they'll take the compensatory pick.

[JoshAllenHasBigHands]

1 hour ago, bigK14094 said:

Give him one more year to mature...keep him around.  Let him walk if he doesn't earn the 10 mil in his option year.  He is young, and apparently has finally learned how to be a pro.  Maybe he will be a late bloomer.   terrible Whaley/Ryan pick though....he was not ready.....

 

Who would you have picked in his place? 

 

I say that, because if you go back in look, there weren't really any better options.  Maybe in the next round there were, but those were all reaches at that spot.  

[HappyDays]

The fact that they haven't made a decision yet tells me they are still exploring a trade. They know what Shaq Lawson can do, it's not like they need to watch the tape again. If a trade happens they won't pick up his option, if it doesn't they will.

[GreggTX]

#2. This is his "show me" year. Besides, who's to say he won't get his veteran contract and hit the snooze button like Dareus did?

[dave mcbride]

3 hours ago, MrEpsYtown said:

I don't think there is any way they pick up the option. I just don't think they love him as a player, and I as I said yesterday on the board somewhere, I don't think they want to tie up funds to guys who don't truly fit their vision. I like Shaq and I think there is still some upside there. But you really can't justify giving him 11-14 million on a 1 year deal. Picking up the option on Shaq and extending Jerry is going to tie up 25-30 million in cap for 2020. I think they use those funds and try to acquire a different group of defensive ends. I'd rather sign Clowney and give him 30 million up front than sign those two guys. 

I don't have a strong opinion either way, but they Bills are going to have a ton of cap space next season. I could be wrong, but I doubt they extend Hughes. Paying older players for past production is never a good idea, and he'll be 32 by the start of the 2020 season. 

[mannc]

1 hour ago, JoshAllenHasBigHands said:

 

Who would you have picked in his place? 

 

I say that, because if you go back in look, there weren't really any better options.  Maybe in the next round there were, but those were all reaches at that spot.  

Yeah, it was a pretty terrible first round, but some really nice players in round 2.

[RussellDopeland]

Ten million for Lawson?! God no!!! He seems like a nice guy, but his play has been the zenith of mediocrity. The Pegulas might as well drive down the 190 and throw $100 bills out the car window-  'twould be an absolute waste of resources. 

[NewEra]

4 hours ago, Seoulful Soul said:

1:  Pick it up?

2:  Let him play and then re-up him if it warrants it?

3:  Let him play and then say good luck with your career?

4:  Cut him/try to trade?

 

He's been a mixed bag but seemed to start to gel last year.  I still believe he's worth it and it's only 24.

Why not make it a poll?

[Da webster guy]

3 hours ago, Rc2catch said:

This really shouldn’t be a question.. Beane absolutely is picking up the option or extending him long term unless like someone else said they really don’t like him. He’s improved every year, and he is young enough that maybe he hasn’t peaked yet. Either way it’s zero risk really to keep him around. I’m in the crowd of sign him up for a team friendly 3-5 years extension while his value is low, just in case with the added talent on defense and offense he produces at a higher level which can skyrocket his price next year. 

Beane says he’ll use the money to lock up the current talent on the roster this is the first real kinda test along with jerry what they do. Beane seems to have a knack for getting players/agents to sign contracts which gives buffalo a lot of flexibility to get out of those deals with little penalty so I would not be against signing Lawson 3-5 years longer the way Beane structures contracts 

 

Agree with this.   Beane is the master of low downside, high upside short term moves, and picking up the option meets all that criteria.  The guy is a solid DE, as George Costanza might say,    "right in the meaty part of the curve....not fallin behind....not showin off...."

 

He's not a head case, seems to be a good team player.  Doesn't take plays off.  Still refining his game.   Low cost for this season.  Probably beats out anyone else we have behind him in the rotation.   Trent Murphy is an injury machine, if he and Hughes went down we'd really need the Shaq to step it up.

[2003Contenders]

3 hours ago, Irv said:

Another crappy pick by Whaley.  Shaq is too Chris-Kelsay-ish.  Plays like him.  Even wears the same number.  Has done nothing.  Buy-bye. 

 

Funny you should bring up Kelsay because I was thinking about that too -- in terms of the current situation. I remember when Buddy Nix signed Kelsay to an extension, he said not every player can be "great" but sometimes you have to do what is necessary to keep your "good" players, as they serve as the back-bone of your team. I see Shaq in that "good but not great" stratosphere as well. Remember, he missed most of his rookie season with the bum shoulder, then had to learn an entirely new defense in year 2 under McD before showing real signs of improvement last year in season 2 under McD.

 

I agree with those who suggest trying to sign him to a contract extension now that is more beneficial to the team than exercising the year 5 option -- before he potentially increases his value this season.

[GunnerBill]

1 hour ago, Rob's House said:

$14m for 3 years sounds about right.

 

$14m for 1 year is crazy for a 4-3 DE who doesn't get consistent pressure on the QB.

 

But you'd have to make that money over 3 years guaranteed otherwise what is the incentive for the agent to sign? When people start talking about 5th year options and franchise tags it is important that they recognise that those are fully guaranteed and as such they set the market for players that you are considering using them on.  If the Bills want to sign Shaq Lawson they need to give him however much new guaranteed money the 5th year option puts on the table. Otherwise his agent is going to let this play out in 2019 and test Shaq's value in FA next spring. At that point once Shaq and his agent get a feel for what his actual market is then you have a different starting point.

[John from Riverside]

At the cost that it would take to pick it up this sounds like a bad contract.

 

 

[Freddie's Dead]

1 hour ago, JoshAllenHasBigHands said:

 

Who would you have picked in his place? 

 

I say that, because if you go back in look, there weren't really any better options.  Maybe in the next round there were, but those were all reaches at that spot.  

 

I would have picked Jyles Mack.

[Victory Formation]

I'd let him go. Not enough there. If he plays well we can ink him to a multi year deal along the lines of what he'd get on his 5th year option. He's not going to see a big payday.

[GunnerBill]

1 minute ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

I would have picked Jyles Mack.

 

Yea. One can only presume the Bills had ***** their board for injury reasons.

[YoloinOhio]

Speaking of the 2016 draft

 

 

[MDH]

1 hour ago, HappyDays said:

The fact that they haven't made a decision yet tells me they are still exploring a trade. They know what Shaq Lawson can do, it's not like they need to watch the tape again. If a trade happens they won't pick up his option, if it doesn't they will.

 

I just don't see a trade unless they get a DE in return and that would be an oddity, DE for DE trade. Murphy is too injury prone to be relied on and the depth at DE is thin. I think they let him play out his contract this year and maybe try and work out a new contract along the way.

[JoshAllenHasBigHands]

17 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

I would have picked Jyles Mack.

 Fair, but its not like he has had a stellar career.  

[Mark80]

We have plenty of money for 2020 season.  Pick it up.  We are never going to spend to the cap anyway.  It's only a 1 year deal.  FA's you have to commit for much longer most likely.

[GunnerBill]

3 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

Speaking of the 2016 draft

 

 

 

Interesting to look back on that draft.... I was high on Shaq and he hasn't been the player I hoped he'd be at the NFL level.... but beyond that I think I had a pretty good year that year. I loved Deion Jones (had a 1st on him), loved Ryan Kelly (the highest graded center I have had since doing this), liked Dak a lot (2nd on him), had Ramsey as an elite corner (and did not need to move to safety as the buzz at the time suggested), didn't like Noah Spence, hated Paxton Lynch, though the 49ers guard was mid rounder, said it was a bad receiver class.... My two biggest mistakes in that draft I think were Shaq and I did quite like Eli Apple too. I thought he went a bit high as a top 10 player but I did have a 1st on him.

[DrDawkinstein]

I'd rather give the money to Ziggy Ansah.

[Capco]

The run defense isn't good enough to take the loss of Shaq and still perform at the same level.  Remember, we were the #2 ranked D mainly because our passing D was #1, but our rush D was #16.  

 

I think the run D was "just good enough" for McDermott's defense to work well.  The pass defense will suffer if we become too soft against the run.  

 

He fills a need, we have the cap space, and he hasn't reached his peak yet.  I hope he's extended if the do end up exercising the option.  

[MrEpsYtown]

While we do have cap space, allocated 14 million to Shaq is insane. Playing Jerry Hughes another 14-15 million per is also insane. People think paying Frank Clark 20 million is crazy. The dude is a dominant player. Paying 28 million to Shaq and Hughes is not happening. I don't care how much cap space we have. It's a terrible use and allocation of funds. 

 

The problem is that outside of Clowney, Mercilus and a few others, it is not an amazing FA class. Guys like Ngakoue, Vic Beasley, Dante Fowler still don't quite fit the mold of long ends. Clowney is the perfect fit going forward. I would try to build a trade with Houston. Hughes, Zay Jones and 2020's second rounder for Clowney. Then I would try to trade Shaq to the  Cowboys for Taco Charlton, who has been a bust for them. Trade our disappointing end for someone else's putting the 5th year burden on somebody else and see if a change of scenery helps Taco. His 5th year option decision would come in 2020. 

 

 

5 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Interesting to look back on that draft.... I was high on Shaq and he hasn't been the player I hoped he'd be at the NFL level.... but beyond that I think I had a pretty good year that year. I loved Deion Jones (had a 1st on him), loved Ryan Kelly (the highest graded center I have had since doing this), liked Dak a lot (2nd on him), had Ramsey as an elite corner (and did not need to move to safety as the buzz at the time suggested), didn't like Noah Spence, hated Paxton Lynch, though the 49ers guard was mid rounder, said it was a bad receiver class.... My two biggest mistakes in that draft I think were Shaq and I did quite like Eli Apple too. I thought he went a bit high as a top 10 player but I did have a 1st on him.

 

We could have had Michael Thomas and Jarran Reed...pretty terrible draft, but some gems came from it. 

Edited April 30, 2019 by MrEpsYtown
Sorry for the Rosetrbation but I was trying to think of somewhat realistic trades

[Freddie's Dead]

12 minutes ago, JoshAllenHasBigHands said:

 Fair, but its not like he has had a stellar career.  

 

True, I was just answering the question of who I would have picked over Shaq.  If you look at who went after Shaq, there's not much value anywhere.  

[JoshAllenHasBigHands]

24 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

True, I was just answering the question of who I would have picked over Shaq.  If you look at who went after Shaq, there's not much value anywhere.  

 

That makes sense, but what I am really driving at is that the Shaq pick gets bashed often, but no one ever considers what the alternatives were.  There really weren't any. 

[BillsfaninSB]

Why not pick it up?  If he has another pedestrian season in 2019 we can just release him or trade him.  Am I missing something? 

 

If if he plays great that is a good problem to have. 

[Freddie's Dead]

2 minutes ago, JoshAllenHasBigHands said:

 

That makes sense, but what I am really driving at is that the Shaq pick gets bashed often, but no one ever considers what the alternatives were.  There really weren't any. 

 

I must violently agree with you.