Jump to content

Updating the Buffalo Bills’ salary-cap space now that everyone is under contract


Recommended Posts

12 hours ago, bourbonboy said:

Ummm....don't forget that 34 of the 90 guys on the team now will be free agents next year. Sure, some will not be among the final 53, but many will. Restricted free agents in 2020 include Levi Wallace and Robert Foster, while UFA's include Jordan Phillips, Spencer Long, Lorax, Kevin Johnson, Hauschka, Shaq Lawson, Quinton Spain, and LaAdrian Waddle, among others. And key players to try and lock-up before their 2020 contract year include Tre White, Matt Milano, Jordan Poyer, Dion Dawkins and maybe Zay Jones.

 

Given the need to extend/re-sign some of the above, and fill the shoes of those leaving with comparable talent, smart spending remains the order of the day. We are in decent shape, but over the top spending would land us right back where we were, and I don't see any way that this regime will let that happen.

Exactly!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, ScottLaw said:

Even if the WR group looks OK, I can't fathom why anyone would be upset if the Bills spent $$$ on a big time FA WR next offseason.

 

Two objectively AND subjectively solid posts in a row. 

 

Multiple opportunities to defecate on the Bills roster/depth and you kept it classy and forward-leaning. Moreover, I completely agree with your points.

 

I'll bet you're really a savvy and funny guy "in real life," despite your persona here (and on the BBMB before that). I'll bet most "realist"/ toxic Buffalo fans were once hopeful and energetic supporters. Which disastrous decision or on-field debacle was most damaging for you? (I ask sincerely.) 

 

I've been hurt, too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, aceman_16 said:

So THIS is what professional and responsible cap management looks like?!?

yes it is.  no chasing shiny objects (players or coaches), build through the draft, have courage and get a little lucky.   McBeanes know what they are doing.  Now injuries could trash it all , but so far , so good

  • Haha (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, ScottLaw said:

I can think of only one player the Bills need to worry about resigning to top $$$ in the near future and that's Tre White.... outside of that there is literally no one that's proven their worth to be worried about paying. 

 

Perhaps Dawkins, Zay and even Shaq have have big years and force the Bills hand,

but until they do "resigning your own" doesn't really work when none are currently worth it.

 

Along with a pretty damn good coach in McVay and a franchise QB, the Rams built a Super Bowl caliber team with some solid FA pick ups and trades.

 

Truth is you need to hit on FAs AND the draft. Can't just rely on the draft and then resigning your own.

 

If it makes sense absolutely.  But lets pick and choose where and who we sign very carefully.  We also dont know what the Rams cap situation will look like when they have to sign their primary contributors which they drafted mostly and they signed a few guys to reasonable contracts and traded for guys before they were FAs which made it so they didnt have to break the bank.

 

Also Poyer and Hyde should be extended before their deals run out as well as Milano.  We have to plan for these things ahead of time and its cheaper in the long run to extend guys early.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Limeaid said:

There is no guarantee they will roll it over.  Other players on roster could see what Hughes did and offer to extend as well this year.

there are numerous scenarios that could happen.   too many to want to get into

 

What I had said in the past -  (to be "simplistic")

Some $ is there for any late June/July/Aug FA cap cuts that may be helpful to Buffalo.

Some $ is saved for "emergencies" and

the remaining $ is rolled over.  

 

I'd be happy if they extended some other contracts too.  There's talent I'd like to see remain in Buffalo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you look at the contracts for a lot of the FAs they signed this offseason they are short term deals, if I recall correctly.  Makes a lot of sense; see which guys perform and then  extend them, let the other guys go.

 

I hope they are thinking about extending Poyer and Hyde.

 

 

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

If you look at the contracts for a lot of the FAs they signed this offseason they are short term deals, if I recall correctly.  Makes a lot of sense; see which guys perform and then  extend them, let the other guys go.

 

I hope they are thinking about extending Poyer and Hyde.

 

 

true that.   Kind of a prove it scenario

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, ScottLaw said:

I can think of only one player the Bills need to worry about resigning to top $$$ in the near future and that's Tre White.... outside of that there is literally no one that's proven their worth to be worried about paying. 

 

Perhaps Dawkins, Zay and even Shaq have have big years and force the Bills hand,

but until they do "resigning your own" doesn't really work when none are currently worth it.

 

Along with a pretty damn good coach in McVay and a franchise QB, the Rams built a Super Bowl caliber team with some solid FA pick ups and trades.

 

Truth is you need to hit on FAs AND the draft. Can't just rely on the draft and then resigning your own.

 

 

Beane never said team-building comes from "just" the draft -- he said it is crucial to draft well and then keep guys you have developed as a means of sustaining long term success.  "Re-signing your own" also includes FAs who have come in and proven their worth.  Many of the FAs brought in this offseason were signed to "prove it" contracts -- if they in fact prove it then "re-signing your own" includes extending FAs who deserve it.

 

As of June 19, 2019, Tre White may be the only player you see as "deserving" of an extension but there are lots of players on the current roster (draftees and FAs alike) who may also show they deserve a new contract or extension after this season.

 

This offseason Beane had to use FA to fill holes.  Moving forward I see Beane using FA the way good organizations do...rarely signing a "flashy" player but bringing in depth or the player who appears to be on the cusp of breaking out.

 

Edited by eball
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Get back to me when all this "good cap managment" results in watching the Bills still playing in mid/late January rather than those stupid teams that "chased after bright shiny toys".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, ShadyBillsFan said:

Updating the Buffalo Bills’ salary-cap space now that everyone is under contract

 

https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2019/6/18/18683013/updating-the-buffalo-bills-salary-cap-space-now-that-everyone-is-under-contract
 

It wasn’t that long ago when it felt like the Buffalo Bills had all the money in the world to burn. Heading into free agency with a cool $67 million to spend led to a lot of excitement (and new faces in the locker room). After a bit of a spending spree, much of that money was used, leaving the Bills with a bit shy of $26 million back in March.

 

As of right now, the Bills’ top-51 players are on the books for a touch under $178 million. With rollover and a bunch of fancy math, Buffalo’s effective cap space is just north of $200 million. This leaves the Bills with $22.5 million in cap space, good for 13th in the NFL. This includes most of the 2019 draft class, whose numbers have been reported. 

 

Dawson Knox, who recently signed his contract, would be projected to just barely crack the top 51. With a projected $685,000, Knox would bump Jeremiah Sirles’s $645,000 out of the top 51. That’s a difference of $40,000. 

 

...

 

A takeaway that can’t be stressed enough is that the Buffalo Bills are in a comfortable spot as of right now. There’s money to use if a player who fits into the process is available—even if that player commands top dollar. Alternatively, a nice little boost for next year wouldn’t be unwise either. Buffalo has options, and that’s not a bad thing at all.

 

 

The Bills have to continue with smart management of the cap as they do have several young, core players who will probably be up for nice contracts when they come off of their rookie deals.  For example, Tre White, is likely going to command attention given his play and the value of his position in the league.  

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Two other factors to this year's cap:

 

1. Players currently "below the line" of the 51 with cap hits of between $490k (Duke Williams) and $641k (Siran Neal) that have a chance to make the roster:

    Virtual locks (4): Robert Foster, Levi Wallace, V. Joseph, a punter

    Pretty good chance 3: S. Neal, J. Johnson, W. Teller

    Could make it (3):Tommy Sweeney, D. Johnson, D. Williams

 

2. That means to get to 53, 4-8 players "above the line" of 51 would get cut. Possibles with cap hit (net of dead money):

     Most likely to go with big $:  Bodine $2.3M, Ducasse $2.0M 

     On the bubble: Waddle $1.6M, Stanford $1.3M, 

     In trouble but cheap: Sirles, R. Thomas, Rice, Pitts, Murphy, Harold, Perry (between $645-735k

     Also not certain: Bush $1,5M

 

So there could be a net pick up of $3-4 million based on cuts. 

 

 

Only $3-4 mil?!
I think Bodine and Ducasse are definite cap casualties. That's over $4M right there.
The Bills only kept them around because of their familiarity with the offense, IMO.

They won't survive camp, with all the better linemen the team signed in free agency.

This is such a great time to be a Bills fan.

It feels like 1988 all over again. lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The key is getting rid of dead money. Nobody wants to be paying players who are no longer on the team and it seems that they’re making progress there. I’m guessing heading into 2020 the biggest space will be cleared by shedding Shady’s salary....yes? No controversy there, just a natural evolution.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, bourbonboy said:

Ummm....don't forget that 34 of the 90 guys on the team now will be free agents next year. Sure, some will not be among the final 53, but many will. Restricted free agents in 2020 include Levi Wallace and Robert Foster, while UFA's include Jordan Phillips, Spencer Long, Lorax, Kevin Johnson, Hauschka, Shaq Lawson, Quinton Spain, and LaAdrian Waddle, among others. And key players to try and lock-up before their 2020 contract year include Tre White, Matt Milano, Jordan Poyer, Dion Dawkins and maybe Zay Jones.

 

Given the need to extend/re-sign some of the above, and fill the shoes of those leaving with comparable talent, smart spending remains the order of the day. We are in decent shape, but over the top spending would land us right back where we were, and I don't see any way that this regime will let that happen.

 

Long is signed through 2020.  As for the others you named, they can RFA tag Wallace and Foster cheap, Phillips likely won't be offered much more than this coming season, LorAx is getting close to the end and will likely need to be replaced anyway, Hauchka may need replacing as well, and Spain, Johnson and Gaines are wait-and-sees.  IOW, they probably won't eat up too much of the cap unless one or more goes off.

 

16 hours ago, Limeaid said:

There is no guarantee they will roll it over.  Other players on roster could see what Hughes did and offer to extend as well this year.

 

Any money they do have left over will be rolled over.  No reason not to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, thebandit27 said:

Thanks Shady.

 

According to Spotrac, the Bills have approximately $143M committed to 58 player contracts in 2020.  Assuming that the cap rises to ~$200M, and the Bills end up rolling over $15M of their $22M in cap space from 2019, that would place Buffalo's team cap limit at $215M, leaving them $72M in cap space for 2020. Knock off $10M each for 2020 rookies and 2020 in-season management, and you're looking at $52M in contracts that they can dole out in FA where the group of pass rushers and WRs looks to be very, very good.

 

Intrigued

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, formerlyofCtown said:

Extensions my friend.  Hopefully one or two of the cheaper FA OL prove to do very well.  Zay Jones if he continues upward.  Suppose Foster really takes off.  Big Dollar FAs dont build Championship.  Resigning your own and drafting well does.  Our typical societal way.  "We have money, lets spend it." If it makes sense do it.  But I dont see big money on anything other than a pass rusher but hopefully one of our guys pans out.

 

Extensions for who?

 

Dawkins is really the first guy, but he's under contract through 2021. White's fifth year option keeps him here through 2022.

 

You're worried about Foster, who won't even be an ERFA until after 2020? 

 

Believe me, by the time those guys are eligible to sign extensions, a new CBA will be in place, which could make the cap soar even higher than the $220M it's likely to be in 2021.

 

About the only guy you worry about is Poyer, who is criminally underpaid.

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

The key is getting rid of dead money. Nobody wants to be paying players who are no longer on the team and it seems that they’re making progress there. I’m guessing heading into 2020 the biggest space will be cleared by shedding Shady’s salary....yes? No controversy there, just a natural evolution.

 

I'm confident in saying that 99% of the "dead money" was off of the books last season.

 

I want to see the legal team of  "Hyde, Poyer and White" stay here for a while 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

53 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

 

Intrigued

 

Seriously.

 

The WR group is loaded relative to other years:

AJ Green

Tyler Boyd

Emmanuel Sanders

Amari Cooper

Michael Thomas

Robbie Anderson

 

And that's before you get to the prove-it types like Josh Gordon, Josh Doctson, Nelson Agholor, Breshad Perriman, and Demarcus Robinson.  It also doesn't count Tyreek Hill.  That group, combined with the seemingly-elite group of WR prospects in the 2020 draft, makes it look like the Bills should be able to load up on pass-catching talent next offseason.

 

As for pass rushers, here's a sampling of who's slated to become UFAs as of now:

Jadeveon Clowney

Dante Fowler

Ziggy Ansah

Shaq Barrett

Yannick Ngakoue

Mario Addison

Whitney Mercilus

Vic Beasley

Bud Dupree

 

Trust me, it's a very good year to have cap room and be in need of an EDGE rusher and WR.

  • Like (+1) 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...