Mitch Morse Re-Works Contract per Ian Rapoport

[Doc]

13 minutes ago, Tuel Time said:

That's trimming a lot of beef on the DL. Who replaces them and at what cost?

 

Star returning makes Butler expendable.  Addison was a disappointment and you could basically swap him out for, say, Carlos Dunlap for less than what you recoup by cutting Addison.  Then you look for another DT/DE to replace Jefferson, or I guess you could restructure him.  Depends on whether they see better options on the market.

[YoloinOhio]

2 minutes ago, Doc said:

 

Star returning makes Butler expendable.  Addison was a disappointment and you could basically swap him out for, say, Carlos Dunlap for less than what you recoup by cutting Addison.  Then you look for another DT/DE to replace Jefferson, or I guess you could restructure him.  Depends on whether they see better options on the market.

I would keep Quinton Jefferson. I think he’s the best of the group they signed last year and was often playing out of position. I would cut Butler, he was never a great fit. Zimmer takes his place. Addison is a restructure or cut if they sign another pass rusher.

[John from Riverside]

5 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

Bates?

Bates absolutely needs to stay

[Motorin']

5 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

Mongo rn

 

 

idk, I took his comments about not seeing himself play anywhere but Buffalo as an indication that he is open to a team friendly deal. 

[Doc]

1 minute ago, YoloinOhio said:

I would keep Quinton Jefferson. I think he’s the best of the group they signed last year and was often playing out of position. I would cut Butler, he was never a great fit. Zimmer takes his place. Addison is a restructure or cut if they sign another pass rusher.

 

Again depends on options in FA.  If they feel Jefferson's $6.5M in cap space (he has zero dead cap) could be better used on someone else, so be it.  If they think he's worth keeping and extending and thereby lowering his cap hit, so be it.  

 

As for Addison, find someone better.  He's not going suddenly improve at his age.

[NewEra]

8 minutes ago, Doc said:

 

Star returning makes Butler expendable.  Addison was a disappointment and you could basically swap him out for, say, Carlos Dunlap for less than what you recoup by cutting Addison.  Then you look for another DT/DE to replace Jefferson, or I guess you could restructure him.  Depends on whether they see better options on the market.

Agreed, except on what Dunlap will get paid. He’s 33, but I think he gets more than 6.1M.  Maybe he’d take less to join us or another contender but he proved he could still bring the heat last season. 

[Mark Vader]

4 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

I was working out, not sleeping! Lol

Getting ready for the Big 10 tournament?

[YoloinOhio]

1 minute ago, Mark Vader said:

Getting ready for the Big 10 tournament?

🤮 

[FireChans]

5 hours ago, Negan said:

Nice, one less hole to fill.

 

Nothing wrong with a veteran center.

This is the first I’ve heard of a player under contract being a hole but it IS the off-season on TBD

[billsfan89]

Mitch is one of the best pass blocking centers in the league, he also is great at doing the leadership things and communication you need a center to do and he isn’t a tragic run blocker either. Overall he is a good player and at a reduced rate and cap number he makes even more sense to keep. Hoping to see John Brown, Hughes and a few others take this route.

54 minutes ago, Doc said:

 

Again depends on options in FA.  If they feel Jefferson's $6.5M in cap space (he has zero dead cap) could be better used on someone else, so be it.  If they think he's worth keeping and extending and thereby lowering his cap hit, so be it.  

 

As for Addison, find someone better.  He's not going suddenly improve at his age.

Isn’t Jefferson coming with 1.5 million in dead cap? I would see if he wants to restructure and take a lower number before cutting him as I like him as a good rotational pass rusher. But if he is unwilling to come down to a more reasonable cap number I cut him and spend that space elsewhere.

[Reed83HOF]

2 hours ago, NewEra said:

Agreed, except on what Dunlap will get paid. He’s 33, but I think he gets more than 6.1M.  Maybe he’d take less to join us or another contender but he proved he could still bring the heat last season. 

Feel throughout the league is Dunlap going back to Seattle at a smaller contract...

[NewEra]

16 minutes ago, Reed83HOF said:

Feel throughout the league is Dunlap going back to Seattle at a smaller contract...

Makes sense.  There’s no way they could keep him at the 14M hit he had.  I think he could get 8-10M one a one year deal.  Addison got 10 🙄

[purple haze]

3 hours ago, Doc said:

 

Star returning makes Butler expendable.  Addison was a disappointment and you could basically swap him out for, say, Carlos Dunlap for less than what you recoup by cutting Addison.  Then you look for another DT/DE to replace Jefferson, or I guess you could restructure him.  Depends on whether they see better options on the market.

Butler was playing out of position.  I think he’s more of a 3 technique.  They might keep him and lose Jefferson.

[78thealltimegreat]

3 hours ago, Doc said:

 

Star returning makes Butler expendable.  Addison was a disappointment and you could basically swap him out for, say, Carlos Dunlap for less than what you recoup by cutting Addison.  Then you look for another DT/DE to replace Jefferson, or I guess you could restructure him.  Depends on whether they see better options on the market.

The massive list of free agent rushers alone the Bills should have no problem filling a spot or two 

[biggerdaddynj]

2 hours ago, billsfan89 said:

Mitch is one of the best pass blocking centers in the league, he also is great at doing the leadership things and communication you need a center to do and he isn’t a tragic run blocker either. Overall he is a good player and at a reduced rate and cap number he makes even more sense to keep. Hoping to see John Brown, Hughes and a few others take this route.

Isn’t Jefferson coming with 1.5 million in dead cap? I would see if he wants to restructure and take a lower number before cutting him as I like him as a good rotational pass rusher. But if he is unwilling to come down to a more reasonable cap number I cut him and spend that space elsewhere.

Think back to 2019 and how excited most of us were to get Morse as our FA Center.  Thought we had Josh’s C for years to come (Morse was only 26 at the time).  Nature of the game...

[TheBeaneBandit]

52 minutes ago, purple haze said:

Butler was playing out of position.  I think he’s more of a 3 technique.  They might keep him and lose Jefferson.

Not really. He's actually kind of positionless in this defense. Not quite stout enough for the 1, just not enough athleticism for the 3. Actually kind of the same deal with Harry ass Philips too.

Edited March 9, 2021 by TheBeaneBandit

[Augie]

8 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Guys unless Feliciano is asking for too much money he's not going anywhere. He's the leader in the locker room on offense. 

 

I appreciate him for his aggressiveness. We need some nasty!  (NOT crazy nasty like Richie, but nasty.)  He plays at least until the whistle, and often moves the pile 2-3 more yards after the RB gets stopped. I LOVE that about him! 

 

But....it always comes down to money. At least we have a rich owner and everyone knows the Bills are where to cool kids want to play!    

[billsfan89]

14 minutes ago, biggerdaddynj said:

Think back to 2019 and how excited most of us were to get Morse as our FA Center.  Thought we had Josh’s C for years to come (Morse was only 26 at the time).  Nature of the game...

 

To be fair as much as I loved the signing and as much as many loved adding Mitch there were a lot of people concerned about the fact that the team overpaid for him and that he had concussion issues. But I thought this team would have at least had a high quality solution at center for the next 4-5 years. Hopefully he can hold up a few more years.

[JerseyBills]

Idk why ppl are bashing Morse. 

He has had a helluva 2 years here so far. He missed a few games, nothing serious,  came back n played at a high level still. 

 

I love the message this sends to the rest of the league.  Morse was willing to deduct 2 mil instead of being released and likely testing FA and getting more. There'd definitely be a market for a 28 y/o very good - elite Center

 

[hmsmystic]

19 minutes ago, JerseyBills said:

Idk why ppl are bashing Morse. 

He has had a helluva 2 years here so far. He missed a few games, nothing serious,  came back n played at a high level still. 

 

I love the message this sends to the rest of the league.  Morse was willing to deduct 2 mil instead of being released and likely testing FA and getting more. There'd definitely be a market for a 28 y/o very good - elite Center

 

Agree this is great news-

We keep our very good center

We don't create another hole in the O Line

Bills save cap room-

wins all around

[John from Riverside]

Dont blame Morse because he is not being used correctly......Mitch one of the best pulling centers in the game and we DONT PULL HIM

 

Then he turns around and takes a PAY CUT....not a restructure.....he gave up money.  Sure.....the bills could have cut him if he didnt do it but that is besides the point.

[Doc]

Pay cut?  Man.  I just hope he doesn't start throwing weights at gyms and demanding the heads of dead relatives...

[Ethan in Cleveland]

2 hours ago, billsfan89 said:

 

To be fair as much as I loved the signing and as much as many loved adding Mitch there were a lot of people concerned about the fact that the team overpaid for him and that he had concussion issues. But I thought this team would have at least had a high quality solution at center for the next 4-5 years. Hopefully he can hold up a few more years.

Exaclty. Beane made him highest paid center in the league and he was rated somewhere between 5 and 15 depending on the source. That is the nature of free agency where you overpay when there is high demand. He's an average center and overpaid. But it would be another big hole to fill if you cut him. Beane did well to get him to take a pay cut. Kudos to him

[Arkady Renko]

Richie Incognito did something like this and then flipped out, caused a "ruckus" and "retired."

[Thurman#1]

12 hours ago, H2o said:

There are plenty of teams with a lot of cap space, just not us this year. 

 

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/cap/

 

 

 

I'd disagree with your definitions of "plenty" and "a lot." 

 

Only 11 teams have more than $30M, and that's before teams sign back their own UFAs and RFAs, with the rookie draft class costing $6 - $7M per team.

 

 

 

The Titans only have 21 guys on the roster who are getting more than $50K on their signing bonus amortized this year (a quick and very dirty way to look at guys who they have invested much in. To see how well this works, I compared the Bills, who have 30 guys in this category. (Some guys in this category are more obviously guys who are legit players with a chance. I threw in Lee Smith and Stefon Diggs on the Bills, though I doubt Lee will be here, personally, as I threw in Adoree Jackson on the Titans.) 

 

The guys not included, left out, are: Bryan Cox Jr, Jake Kumerow, Justin Zimmer, Jaquan Johnson, Darryl Johnson, Tommy Sweeney, Jordan Devey, Davis Webb, Ryan Bates, Duke Williams, Tyler Bass, Isaiah Hodgins, Dane Jackson, Reggie Gilliam, Tyrel Dodson, Trey Adams, Brandin Bryant, Tanner Gentry, Cam Lewis, Mike Love, Nate Becker, Josh Thomas, Christian Wade, Antonio Williams and Andre Smith.

 

Looking at that list, there are maybe four or five guys who look likely to play significant roles on this team, though mostly as backups. Tyler Bass and Zimmer without much doubt, plus Jaquan Johnson and Dane Jackson, probably. Tommy Sweeney, maybe? And a few more could work their way up with a good offseason. But that group looks - to me at least - like a group mostly unlikely to play big parts in the plans of this team. It clearly does not work perfectly, but as a quick and dirty measure it's not awful, so I'll use it on other teams.

 

Titans: 21 guys have signing bonus amortizations of over $50K, and I threw in Adoree Jackson even though he doesn't.

 

The Steelers have 27, with me throwing in three obvious guy that are important even though they don't fit financially, Minkah Fitzpatrick, David DeCastro and TJ Watt.

 

The Lions: 28

 

Cards: 28

 

Panthers: 24

 

Seahawks: 29

 

Ravens: 32

 

Browns: 31 ( I had to throw in five guys w/out bonuses who seem clearly in their plans, including Teller. If you are acquired by trade, you have no amortized bonus listed on your current team unless they re-worked your deal and gave you a signing bonus)

 

Niners: 24

 

I picked these teams using the Spotrac list of cap available that H2o linked to above. I started just above the Bills and worked my way upward and stopped after #12, leaving the top 11 teams, the teams with more than $30M remaining, unexamined.

 

So why did I bother doing this? Because it shows teams still have a lot of work to do before they even start thinking about bringing in impact FAs from outside. You have to pump up the number of all teams by 7 or so, as few teams cut more than one of their drafts for the current year. But there's a lot of guys to bring in yet for everyone.

 

Those cap numbers are clearly higher than they will be fairly soon as teams bring back the FAs, and higher still than they'll be after signing their draftees. This time of year those numbers usually average somewhere in the 30s. This year $17. Now, some things will adjust numbers up also. The Bills just came to an agreement with Morse that raised the cap by $2M. Other teams will do the same. There will also be cuts.

 

But overall there aren't, by my definition at least, "plenty" of teams with what I would call "a lot" of money.

 

 

 

Edited March 10, 2021 by Thurman#1

[Thurman#1]

32 minutes ago, Ethan in Portland said:

Exaclty. Beane made him highest paid center in the league and he was rated somewhere between 5 and 15 depending on the source. That is the nature of free agency where you overpay when there is high demand. He's an average center and overpaid. But it would be another big hole to fill if you cut him. Beane did well to get him to take a pay cut. Kudos to him

 

I guess you could say he was rated between 5 and 15. But I don't think nearly anybody had him in the bottom part of your range there. He was generally considered between 7 and 12. And higher if you used him as an athletic center rather than in a power system. Which we aren't.

 

He's well above average if you use him in a zone scheme. But yes, the concussion issues were real, we took a risk there.

 

But yes, cutting him would indeed create another big hole. This made sense.

Edited March 10, 2021 by Thurman#1

[billsfan89]

47 minutes ago, Ethan in Portland said:

Exaclty. Beane made him highest paid center in the league and he was rated somewhere between 5 and 15 depending on the source. That is the nature of free agency where you overpay when there is high demand. He's an average center and overpaid. But it would be another big hole to fill if you cut him. Beane did well to get him to take a pay cut. Kudos to him

 

I wouldn't say he is an average center. He is one of the best pass blocking centers in the league. He also does all the leadership and communication things you need a center to do. Mitch's run blocking is average to below average but he isn't tragic there. I think Mitch at the time of signing was a top 5 center in the league and in his time in Buffalo he has certainly been at worst in the top 10 at his position. However when you pay a guy the top at his position simply being good isn't going to cut it and his pay cut makes him more in line with his actual level of production. Glad not to have another hole to fill, I feel Mitch is a bit underrated around here.

[beerme1]

14 hours ago, QCity said:

 

Completely disagree. When you have 5 concussions you are basically playing on borrowed time to begin with. They had an out and should have taken it. Josh needs to be paired with a young center for the next 10 years (Landon Dickerson?) and while it's fun to picture Morse starting for 16 games it just isn't likely to happen.

 

The so called training camp concussion has me worried. Whatever took him out was certainly not a big hit. 

[Norcalbillsfan]

I like the move, hes not elite but he's not a liability to get Allen killed. 

[Big Blitz]

12 hours ago, Doc said:

 

By releasing Addison, Brown, Butler and Jefferson, they can get about $34M in cap space.

 

 

I'm good with that.  

 

Then sign Golladay (13 per).  

 

Resign Williams (12 per) and Mongo (6 per).

 

That's 31 million of the 34.  

 

Draft Etienne.  

 

Find good plug and plays for rotation on the D line.  

 

Let's roll.  

[H2o]

8 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

I picked these teams using the Spotrac list of cap available that H2o linked to above. I started just above the Bills and worked my way upward and stopped after #12, leaving the top 11 teams, the teams with more than $30M remaining, unexamined.

That's 1/3 of the league with more that $30M. That's a lot. There are 6 teams with over $40M and there are 3 teams with over $70M. Two of those teams with $70M are in our division. There's plenty of $$$ to go around for these teams to doll out some big contracts to players who will be difference makers on their team. The question will be where do the players themselves want to go and what is their greatest motivating factor. If it's $$$ then it's out there. 

[Doc Brown]

5 hours ago, Big Blitz said:

 

 

I'm good with that.  

 

Then sign Golladay (13 per).  

 

Resign Williams (12 per) and Mongo (6 per).

 

That's 31 million of the 34.  

 

Draft Etienne.  

 

Find good plug and plays for rotation on the D line.  

 

Let's roll.  

Golladay will pry get between 17 and 20 million per season being the top WR free agent on the market with Robinson and Godwin being tagged.  Robert Woods signed a contract that pays him 16.25 million dollar per season last September and I expect Golladay to make a little more than that.

Edited March 10, 2021 by Doc Brown

[GunnerBill]

10 hours ago, John from Riverside said:

Dont blame Morse because he is not being used correctly......Mitch one of the best pulling centers in the game and we DONT PULL HIM

 

Then he turns around and takes a PAY CUT....not a restructure.....he gave up money.  Sure.....the bills could have cut him if he didnt do it but that is besides the point.

 

It is hard to run to the outside with two backs who accelerate about as fast as a fat man towards a salad. 

 

Morse is fine. He is the least of our issues. He is smart, he helps a lot with protections and Josh has got so much better at that working with him. But he is always going to be a weak link in the inside run game. It just isn't his strength. He can run block but as you say his strength is getting outside on pull blocks in space and our backs are not really fast enough to run horizontal to the line for long without risking lost yards. I just think there has been a slight disconnect between the line they built and the backs they drafted. I think it would be fascinating to sit down with Beane in private and probe that. 

[SectionC3]

23 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

Mongo rn

 

 

Yup.  He took Mongo's money.  Might tip us off as to the run scheme for next year, too.  We shall see. 

[GunnerBill]

2 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

Golladay will pry get between 17 and 20 million per season being the top WR free agent on the market with Robinson and Godwin being tagged.  Robert Woods signed a contract that pays him 16.25 million dollar per season last September and I expect Golladay to make a little more than that.

 

Colts. Colts. Colts. 

[ALF]

The Miami Herald reports the Dolphins are "expected to show considerable interest" in free agent Kenny Golladay.  6'4" oh boy

 

https://www.nbcsports.com/edge/football/nfl/player/2681/kenny-golladay

 

 

 

[YattaOkasan]

12 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

 

I'd disagree with your definitions of "plenty" and "a lot." 

 

Only 11 teams have more than $30M, and that's before teams sign back their own UFAs and RFAs, with the rookie draft class costing $6 - $7M per team.

 

Harder to take the rest of this good post seriously when you think rookies will cost $6-$7mil per team.  Rule of 51 reminder.  

[PetermansRedemption]

1 hour ago, ALF said:

The Miami Herald reports the Dolphins are "expected to show considerable interest" in free agent Kenny Golladay.  6'4" oh boy

 

https://www.nbcsports.com/edge/football/nfl/player/2681/kenny-golladay

 

 

 

With Tua running the show, I’m not too worried. 

[Doc]

1 hour ago, ALF said:

The Miami Herald reports the Dolphins are "expected to show considerable interest" in free agent Kenny Golladay.  6'4" oh boy

 

https://www.nbcsports.com/edge/football/nfl/player/2681/kenny-golladay

 

19 minutes ago, PetermansRedemption said:

With Tua running the show, I’m not too worried. 

 

Was just going to say this.  I doubt the interest is mutual.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

https://twitter.com/MatthewFairburn/status/1369721562383998976?s=19

 

Edited March 10, 2021 by Buffalo_Stampede