Star Lotulelei opting out for 2020

[LABILLBACKER]

3 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

I thought he might get cut actually 

Not a huge loss. I want a little more than a space eater from my DT. 

[NewEra]

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Agreed. 10 weeks is about the maximum you can keep people away from their kids in bubbles. A 17 week season? Too long. 

This.  I was hoping that they would’ve implemented something other than the regular schedule.  17 weeks with no bubble is gonna be tough.  I thought they might go with 8-12 games with each team having a bubble in their home towns, onto private jets into the stadium and back home.  

1 hour ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

I dunno.

 

My daughter is my world right now, but for $5M I could figure out how to deal with being gone for 4-5months.

 

Pretty sure our active duty military folks leave their families for longer stints and for way less money.

 

It can be done.

But what if you had millions in the bank and your starting QB opted out?  

[Mango]

1 hour ago, JoshAllenHasBigHands said:

 

Well, I envision each team having its own bubble. So a bubble in Buf, a bubble in NYC, a bubble in KC, etc.  Then the leave the bubble to go to games.  I think it would work well. 

 

You would probably need regional bubbles just because of the enormity of the league. Finding housing for 3000 of the largest people on the planet would be difficult. Without fans, you just need stadiums/fields with enough quality and ability to set up network cameras. With it looking like college football is delaying the inevitable, you probably find a center big time football. 

It would look something like this: 

OKC Base- Houston, Dallas, New Orleans and Denver (access to Dallas, OSU, OU) 

Columbus, OH- Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinatti, (OSU, Ohio U, Miami Ohio)

Florida teams- Just set them on fire

Madison WI- Vikings, Bears, Lions, Packers

 

I don't know, I am just spit balling, but something like that. 

 

If you wanted to take it a step further, treat it like the world cups. Internal round robin to start. Re-organize the bubbles, test, rinse and repeat. 

[GunnerBill]

12 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

That seems incredibly arbitrary. What happens at 11 weeks?

There are people all over the world that travel to work on fishing ships, oil rigs, technology capitals that see their family far less frequently.

 I know people that live away from their families for months at a time abroad for work.

 

The difference is those are people who need the money. And I am not saying exactly 10 weeks but but it is in that range. 17 with potentially 4 more for a playoff run? That is too long for a bubble IMO.

[NewEra]

6 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

That seems incredibly arbitrary. What happens at 11 weeks?

There are people all over the world that travel to work on fishing ships, oil rigs, technology capitals that see their family far less frequently.

 I know people that live away from their families for months at a time abroad for work.

How many are multi millionaires?

 

Scenario:  you’re a starting QB in the nfl with millions in the bank.  Your wife and kids are really upset that you’re going to be gone for 4-6 months.  They ask you to please sit out this one season and stay safe at home quarantining with them.  Idk.....seems like an easy decision to stay home to me.  Can’t take that money to your grave.  Can’t get that time with your family and kids back.  Time is all we got....and you have to give up half a year with your loved ones.....so you can make some more money that you can’t to the grave with you....all while you are putting your safety at risk.

 

and then you have several other millionaires with families.....that are now playing without their QB.
 

Lots of nfl players NEED this year income for their futures.  In most cases, the most important players do not.

[IgotBILLStopay]

Epenesa pick is looking better and better. He is versatile enough to line up inside next to Harry / Oliver / Jefferson

[ChevyVanMiller]

I'm pretty sure that Star opted out last season, too. At least he's letting us know up front this year.

Edited July 28, 2020 by ChevyVanMiller

[BullBuchanan]

3 minutes ago, NewEra said:

How many are multi millionaires?

 

Scenario:  you’re a starting QB in the nfl with millions in the bank.  Your wife and kids are really upset that you’re going to be gone for 4-6 months.  They ask you to please sit out this one season and stay safe at home quarantining with them.  Idk.....seems like an easy decision to stay home to me.  Can’t take that money to your grave.  Can’t get that time with your family and kids back.  Time is all we got....and you have to give up half a year with your loved ones.....so you can make some more money that you can’t to the grave with you....all while you are putting your safety at risk.

 

and then you have several other millionaires with families.....that are now playing without their QB.
 

Lots of nfl players NEED this year income for their futures.  In most cases, the most important players do not.

I dunno. going to work for 4-6 months to either make $30M to set up another 5 generations of descendants for life or $1m still seems like a great tradeoff to me. These guys have short careers and will spend way more time with their families than any normal working person ever will.

I don't really understand why 25 year old players have kids or wives anyway. Seems like a way smarter Idea to wait until they're retired,, but that's beside the point.

[DrDawkinstein]

14 minutes ago, NewEra said:

 

But what if you had millions in the bank and your starting QB opted out?  

 

The matter wasnt about opting out, it was about whether going over 10 weeks in a bubble is too long.

 

Players are already opting out without the bubble. Maybe more would with a bubble.

 

But my point was, 10 weeks isnt some magic number that is impossible for humans to be gone that long.

10 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

The difference is those are people who need the money. And I am not saying exactly 10 weeks but but it is in that range. 17 with potentially 4 more for a playoff run? That is too long for a bubble IMO.

 

@GunnerBill has chosen to opt out for the season. Noted.

[Rock'em Sock'em]

3 hours ago, GG said:

This actually sucks, because it makes it tougher to move him next year, which was the likely plan.

 

I wonder if this can be mitigated...

* "Replace" Star with a 1M player, similar to Corey Liuget last year.

* Move the balance, 7.1M of cap space, from this year to next year.

* Pay our Star's 7M of guarantees in 2021/2022 using the carryover created this year.

[SCBills]

I love how i'm listening to WGR on the Radio.com app at work and Schopp/Bulldog, as of 3:15, haven't even mentioned Star optiing-out.  They've talked about the Patriots opt-outs, and a bunch of Marlins baseball discussion along with a whole bunch of random nonsense... but the one Bills player who opted-out, to lead the show...nothing.   

[NewEra]

10 minutes ago, BullBuchanan said:

I dunno. going to work for 4-6 months to either make $30M to set up another 5 generations of descendants for life or $1m still seems like a great tradeoff to me. These guys have short careers and will spend way more time with their families than any normal working person ever will.

I don't really understand why 25 year old players have kids or wives anyway. Seems like a way smarter Idea to wait until they're retired,, but that's beside the point.

Have you ever once thought about your potential great great great great grandkids?  This pandemic has taught me one thing.  Life is REALLY short and at a moments notice your life can change drastically.  If I were a professional athletes and I knew I didn’t ever have to worry about money and I was told I had to be away from wife and kids (not to mention parents that may be high risk) for half a year.....I’m confidant that I’d sit out.  This is coming from a guy that had open heart surgery a year ago.  Sometimes you just have to experience a life or death scenario before you can put a price tag on your life.

[DrDawkinstein]

8 minutes ago, SCBills said:

I love how i'm listening to WGR on the Radio.com app at work and Schopp/Bulldog, as of 3:15, haven't even mentioned Star optiing-out.  They've talked about the Patriots opt-outs, and a bunch of Marlins baseball discussion along with a whole bunch of random nonsense... but the one Bills player who opted-out, to lead the show...nothing.   

 

If youre still listening to those two during a year with no sports, that's on you. Enjoy your self-inflicted punishment. ?

[NewEra]

16 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

The matter wasnt about opting out, it was about whether going over 10 weeks in a bubble is too long.

 

Players are already opting out without the bubble. Maybe more would with a bubble.

 

But my point was, 10 weeks isnt some magic number that is impossible for humans to be gone that long.

 

@GunnerBill has chosen to opt out for the season. Noted.

Noted.  I just didn’t think @GunnerBill was being literal regarding 10 weeks.  More along the lines of 17 weeks plus the playoffs is too long

2 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

If youre still listening to those two during a year with no sports, that's on you. Enjoy your self-inflicted punishment. ?

No doubt.  I haven’t listened to them more than twice a year.....ever

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

3 hours ago, Irv said:

How do you go from $4.5M fully guaranteed to $150K?  That's got to be difficult.  I just don't see this season going more than one game.  All it will take is one team to get it bad.  Then the season is in shambles.    

 
sport trac has him earning 42 million career to date. No idea if opting out changes that number retroactively, but unlikely by a lot. 
 

It doesn’t take financial wizardry to live off of 150 for a year in most places to begin with. Add in that prior earning back stop and I’m suspecting cash flow wasn’t on the list of worries. 

[jimmy10]

3 hours ago, Irv said:

How do you go from $4.5M fully guaranteed to $150K?  That's got to be difficult.    

Very carefully, and hopefully with a lot of sound financial advice up to this point. 

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Agreed. 10 weeks is about the maximum you can keep people away from their kids in bubbles. A 17 week season? Too long. 

When my uncle was in the navy on sub deployment I’m pretty sure he went to sea for 6 months a number of times. But he wasn’t getting nfl money to do it. 

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

3 hours ago, Irv said:

How do you go from $4.5M fully guaranteed to $150K?  That's got to be difficult.  I just don't see this season going more than one game.  All it will take is one team to get it bad.  Then the season is in shambles.    

 

It really wasn't that hard!

[GunnerBill]

22 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

The matter wasnt about opting out, it was about whether going over 10 weeks in a bubble is too long.

 

Players are already opting out without the bubble. Maybe more would with a bubble.

 

But my point was, 10 weeks isnt some magic number that is impossible for humans to be gone that long.

 

@GunnerBill has chosen to opt out for the season. Noted.

 

If I was in their position and told I had to lock myself away for 17 weeks I may well do, yes. 

1 minute ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

When my uncle was in the navy on sub deployment I’m pretty sure he went to sea for 6 months a number of times. But he wasn’t getting nfl money to do it. 

 

Exactly. He needed his salary to feed his family. These guys don't for the most part. 

[jwhit34]

If Phillips is healthy, they still have Oliver, Butler, Phillips and Jefferson to rotate on inside. That should be very good. If all perform as expected it may be Star Who(?). Or if Oliver has a breakout year, A Star is Born.

[No_Matter_What]

36 minutes ago, ChevyVanMiller said:

I'm pretty sure that Star opted out last season, too. At least he's letting us know up front this year.

Haha not fair but really funny.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

9 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

If I was in their position and told I had to lock myself away for 17 weeks I may well do, yes. 

 

Exactly. He needed his salary to feed his family. These guys don't for the most part. 

Yeah but I don’t think there is a hard number though. 
 

Everyone has their price, their current bank account and what they are willing to put their family through or risk themselves. 

 

I'm not even sure the percentage of players with families at all. Median age is 24 or so.   

[C.Biscuit97]

Me hearing this news. 
 

 

but I wish him well.  Congrats on stealing a lot of money to average 18 tackles a year. 

Edited July 28, 2020 by C.Biscuit97

[SCBills]

8 minutes ago, jwhit34 said:

If Phillips is healthy, they still have Oliver, Butler, Phillips and Jefferson to rotate on inside. That should be very good. If all perform as expected it may be Star Who(?). Or if Oliver has a breakout year, A Star is Born.

 

...and then we get to welcome Star and his trash contract back the next year....

 

I actually love that 4 man rotation, but Star moving his contract down the road a year is frustrating.

[Warcodered]

1 minute ago, SCBills said:

 

...and then we get to welcome Star and his trash contract back the next year....

 

I actually love that 4 man rotation, but Star moving his contract down the road a year is frustrating.

I guess it'll also depend if they use there newfound cap space this year or let it roll over to next it could negate itself.

[IgotBILLStopay]

14 minutes ago, jwhit34 said:

If Phillips is healthy, they still have Oliver, Butler, Phillips and Jefferson to rotate on inside. That should be very good. If all perform as expected it may be Star Who(?). Or if Oliver has a breakout year, A Star is Born.

dont forget Epenesa who is pretty decent in rushing from the inside. I am sure he will see some time at DT.

[BillsMafi$]

Sign Snacks Harrison 

[BarleyNY]

4 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

I thought he might get cut actually 

No.  Maybe traded tho.  He has $7M in fully guaranteed salary in his next two seasons.   His whole $4.5M salary in 2020 (or 2021 with opt out) and and $2.5M of his following year’s salary are guaranteed.  Unless he is a total liability then there is really no way he won’t play at least one more season.  Unless the Bills trade him that is. 

[BobbyC81]

3 hours ago, H2o said:

TSW is going to have to find a new whipping boy. Murphy, you are front and center now. 

No need to repeat yourself.  ?

9 minutes ago, IgotBILLStopay said:

dont forget Epenesa who is pretty decent in rushing from the inside. I am sure he will see some time at DT.

Well, McD had stated that Epenesa will only play DE this season to avoid throwing too much at him.

[BarleyNY]

12 minutes ago, SCBills said:

 

...and then we get to welcome Star and his trash contract back the next year....

 

I actually love that 4 man rotation, but Star moving his contract down the road a year is frustrating.

Ive said it a hundred times.  That contract was ridiculous.  I’ve liked what Beane has done overall, but that was worthy of firing a GM over. 

[billsfan_34]

4 hours ago, MAJBobby said:

I am starting to see a Bit of trend with the early list..

 

Alot of BIG GUYs on the list (12 OL/DL) and Obesity is a area to look out for with COVID.

Spot on brotha. This season may become a wash.

[MJS]

4 minutes ago, BarleyNY said:

Ive said it a hundred times.  That contract was ridiculous.  I’ve liked what Beane has done overall, but that was worthy of firing a GM over. 

Wow. Worthy of firing over? That's simply not true.

[SCBills]

32 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

I guess it'll also depend if they use there newfound cap space this year or let it roll over to next it could negate itself.

I hope so... if we can roll over his cap space into next year, then no harm no foul.   
 

I think, as currently constructed, we have a Championship caliber team.  No need to use his cap space on what will be a bizarre year anyway if we can roll it over and avoid  Star’s opt-out creating any kind of cap headache. 

[BarleyNY]

55 minutes ago, MJS said:

Wow. Worthy of firing over? That's simply not true.

It was that bad of a contract.  The reworked one made it better but the original was an absolutely horrible contract for the Bills.  Again, it’s not what we’ve typically seen from Beane but he screwed the pooch on that one. 

[MJS]

31 minutes ago, BarleyNY said:

It was that bad of a contract.  The reworked one made it better but the original was an absolutely horrible contract for the Bills.  Again, it’s not what we’ve typically seen from Beane but he screwed the pooch on that one. 

And never got even close to getting fired for it.

[GunnerBill]

It wasn't fireable but it was a bad contract for an average player. 

[kota]

I haven't read any of the responses but i seriously hope people aren't be negative about this decision.  It doesn't matter how well you think he played, or if he would have been cut or not.

You don't know this guys medical history or his families medical history.  Maybe he has someone who is close that has pre-existing conditions that he is concerned about as he should.

 

Football fields and sidelines is just a pool of bacteria.   

Show a little respect during these difficult times.  

[GunnerBill]

4 minutes ago, kota said:

I haven't read any of the responses but i seriously hope people aren't be negative about this decision.  It doesn't matter how well you think he played, or if he would have been cut or not.

You don't know this guys medical history or his families medical history.  Maybe he has someone who is close that has pre-existing conditions that he is concerned about as he should.

 

Football fields and sidelines is just a pool of bacteria.   

Show a little respect during these difficult times.  

 

I think for the most part people have been respectful of his decision. The chat has focussed on what it means for the Bills both in terms of 2020 roster construction and future cap hits. 

[stinky finger]

6 hours ago, MAJBobby said:

I am starting to see a Bit of trend with the early list..

 

Alot of BIG GUYs on the list (12 OL/DL) and Obesity is a area to look out for with COVID.

 

Precisely why I don't play. 

[John from Riverside]

One thing is for sure......Harrison Phillips just became much more important.

 

My question is.....does Vincent Taylor now make the team?   We need run stop......I actually thought Vincent Taylor played well