Bills sign Matt Milano to 4 yr, 44 mill deal with 24 mill gtd

[Malazan]

5 minutes ago, JGMcD2 said:

They’re using fancy math and formulas to make their predictions... not all that different than NFL teams do (albeit with their own individual tweaks) folks around here better get used to them fancy models and mathematics... 

 

No, we will burn the witches!

[Freddie's Dead]

Beane is a witch.  $11M/yr is a steal.  Solid value.

[eee1776]

I know I will be in the minority, missed to many tackles and is injury prone. Money would have been better spent else where, like  OL or DE.

[BADOLBILZ]

56 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

He’s a good player for sure, but I tend to agree with this. Need to get better in the front four in getting to the QB. I felt Klein and a draft pick could fill in admirably while using the limited cap space on a stud end would be more beneficial.... maybe they can do both. 

 

 

I was not in favor of paying Milano around $10M per year..........there are positions where they are going to need to fill on defense with players who don't make that kind of money.

 

Being that they spend more money than any team in the NFL on defensive lineman and have a $15M CB and two safeties making in the $8M range........an injury prone weak-side, non-pass rushing linebacker seemed like a logical place to show some fiscal austerity.   I think that was almost universally agreed upon.   He was not expected back.

 

This also means that they aren't as likely to get a chance to see if they can upgrade MLB between now and Edmunds $15M option year in 2022.......though it is still likely that Milano will miss a lot of games and that may lead to more of Klein on the field and more flipping of responsibilities which could maybe put Edmunds in a better position to make plays and eventually be moved to WLB.

 

I think, as reported, they were just surprised that Milano was willing to take less than they thought and they made a dubious decision and spent money they should have slotted for the offense or at least for pass rush help.    

 

Nowhere near Beane's worst UFA move but a lot of dead money walking, IMO.   It will probably end up being like a 2 year $28M deal by the time Milano's lack of availability becomes intolerable.

 

 

[JGMcD2]

23 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

Nowhere near Beane's worst UFA move but a lot of dead money walking, IMO.   It will probably end up being like a 2 year $28M deal by the time Milano's lack of availability becomes intolerable.

Can you point out his lack of availability beyond this season? You referenced it twice...  what other long significant stretches did he miss in past seasons? 
 

Asking for an uneducated friend... 

 

I also want to ask you... how many games is the average NFL player expected to play? I know the answer but I’d like to see if you do.. because injury prone means that player misses MORE games than the average player... so just curious... how many games is the average NFL player expected to play per season? 

Edited March 12, 2021 by JGMcD2

[Aussie Joe]

22 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

I was not in favor of paying Milano around $10M per year..........there are positions where they are going to need to fill on defense with players who don't make that kind of money.

 

Being that they spend more money than any team in the NFL on defensive lineman and have a $15M CB and two safeties making in the $8M range........an injury prone weak-side, non-pass rushing linebacker seemed like a logical place to show some fiscal austerity.   I think that was almost universally agreed upon.   He was not expected back.

 

This also means that they aren't as likely to get a chance to see if they can upgrade MLB between now and Edmunds $15M option year in 2022.......though it is still likely that Milano will miss a lot of games and that may lead to more of Klein on the field and more flipping of responsibilities which could maybe put Edmunds in a better position to make plays and eventually be moved to WLB.

 

I think, as reported, they were just surprised that Milano was willing to take less than they thought and they made a dubious decision and spent money they should have slotted for the offense or at least for pass rush help.    

 

Nowhere near Beane's worst UFA move but a lot of dead money walking, IMO.   It will probably end up being like a 2 year $28M deal by the time Milano's lack of availability becomes intolerable.

 

 

Beane makes all these terrible moves but somehow the team went 15-4 last season...

[Billever76]

7 hours ago, BillsMafi$ said:

Signing still gets us NO WHERE close to beating the chiefs 

You are aware the chiefs just lost both Starting tackles and their center is also as good as gone right?..Thats 3 starters on their oline!..ummm i like our chances

Edited March 12, 2021 by Billever76

[BADOLBILZ]

8 minutes ago, JGMcD2 said:

Can you point out his lack of availability beyond this season? You referenced it twice...  what other long significant stretches did he miss in past seasons? 
 

Asking for an uneducated friend... 

 

It started soon after he was elevated to the starting position in December of 2017...........he pulled a hamstring in the Miami game and missed the wildcard game in Jacksonville........unfortunately they lost that game so he didn't get to miss the other games he would have had he sustained THAT soft tissue injury in-season.

 

In the past 3 years he's missed 10 full games........he sustained an injury and missed time in 3 others............and was on a snap count with his shoulder in a sling in others. 

 

He played only 31% of the Bills defensive snaps this year.

 

He's a safe bet to miss 6-8 games and large parts of others over the next two seasons.

[MJS]

1 hour ago, TheProcess said:

Still remember Al Michael’s comments during the opener that year where he was yucking it up about how Gillislee got away from the Bills. Don’t get me wrong, I was bummed to lose Touchdown Mike, but the dig at the Bills was a little extra. As long as Milano stays healthy, that trade will be considered pretty damn good for the Bills. 

Gillislee was an absolute disaster for them. We practically stole a 5th round pick from them. And if you remember, Gillislee was just a street free agent that we picked up for nothing in the middle of the previous season. So that situation was a big win for the Bills.

 

I mean, the Pats still went on to win the division and everything, but hey, you gotta take what you can take.

[JGMcD2]

1 minute ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

It started soon after he was elevated to the starting position in December of 2017...........he pulled a hamstring in the Miami game and missed the wildcard game in Jacksonville........unfortunately they lost that game so he didn't get to miss the other games he would have had he sustained THAT soft tissue injury in-season.

 

In the past 3 years he's missed 10 full games........he sustained an injury and missed time in 3 others............and was on a snap count with his shoulder in a sling in others. 

 

He played only 31% of the Bills defensive snaps this year.

 

He's a safe bet to miss 6-8 games and large parts of others over the next two seasons.

 

I also want to ask you... how many games is the average NFL player expected to play? I know the answer but I’d like to see if you do.. because injury prone means that player misses MORE games than the average player... so just curious... how many games is the average NFL player expected to play per season? 

[MJS]

1 minute ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

It started soon after he was elevated to the starting position in December of 2017...........he pulled a hamstring in the Miami game and missed the wildcard game in Jacksonville........unfortunately they lost that game so he didn't get to miss the other games he would have had he sustained THAT soft tissue injury in-season.

 

In the past 3 years he's missed 10 full games........he sustained an injury and missed time in 3 others............and was on a snap count with his shoulder in a sling in others. 

 

He played only 31% of the Bills defensive snaps this year.

 

He's a safe bet to miss 6-8 games and large parts of others over the next two seasons.

Would you take that bet? Injuries can be pretty random.

[BADOLBILZ]

16 minutes ago, JGMcD2 said:

 

I also want to ask you... how many games is the average NFL player expected to play? I know the answer but I’d like to see if you do.. because injury prone means that player misses MORE games than the average player... so just curious... how many games is the average NFL player expected to play per season? 

 

If you want to make a point just spit it out, captain suspense.  

 

The numbers spell it out.   In Thomas Davis' years 2,3 and 4 he averaged nearly 95% of Carolina's defensive snaps.  Milano obviously nowhere near that.  In 6 of his 8 seasons Luke Kuechly played over 900 snaps.   Milano hasn't done that once in 4.   He literally played the equivalent of 5 regular season games worth of snaps in 2020.   Availability is an issue with Milano.  Fact.

[Gambit]

45 minutes ago, Billever76 said:

You are aware the chiefs just lost both Starting tackles and their center is also as good as gone right?..Thats 3 starters on their oline!..ummm i like our chances

Still have to score on that defense that smacked us around. 

[JGMcD2]

9 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

If you want to make a point just spit it out, captain suspense.  

 

The numbers spell it out.   In Thomas Davis' years 2,3 and 4 he averaged nearly 95% of Carolina's defensive snaps.  Milano obviously nowhere near that.  In 6 of his 8 seasons Luke Kuechly played over 900 snaps.   Milano hasn't done that once in 4.   He literally played the equivalent of 5 regular season games worth of snaps in 2020.   Availability is an issue with Milano.  Fact.

 

How can you claim he’s injury prone without defining what injury prone is? 
 

It’s 14 games... which is what Milano has averaged in his 4 years. He no more or less injury prone than any other player in the NFL. Players get hurt in the NFL and miss games... that’s just part of it. 
 

I didn’t ask you about 2020... which was a historic year for injuries across the NFL.. I asked you about the seasons prior to 2020.

[newcam2012]

14 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

If you want to make a point just spit it out, captain suspense.  

 

The numbers spell it out.   In Thomas Davis' years 2,3 and 4 he averaged nearly 95% of Carolina's defensive snaps.  Milano obviously nowhere near that.  In 6 of his 8 seasons Luke Kuechly played over 900 snaps.   Milano hasn't done that once in 4.   He literally played the equivalent of 5 regular season games worth of snaps in 2020.   Availability is an issue with Milano.  Fact.

Availability and his ability to stay on the field is a huge concern. I cannot pretend it isn't. I'm hoping he can stay healthy and play most of the season(s). With that said, I like the risk and the signing. Milano is elite when he's on the field. He makes everyone much better, makes big plays, and is a leader out there. I believe he gives the Bills the best chance to make another super bowl run. To boot, I think we signed him for a little home town discount. 

12 minutes ago, Gambit said:

Still have to score on that defense that smacked us around. 

Also, other teams will be in the mix like the Browns, Ravens, Titans, Dolphins, and Indy. Bills will not have an easy path to the super bowl. I've never been so excited about an upcoming season. 

[machine gun kelly]

He’s been available to play 54 of 64 games plus 5 playoff games.  So in the regular season 13.5 games on avg.  He didn’t always start in the beginning of his career.  He played himself into the starting role.

 

He had a tough year in 2020, but that doesn’t mean he’s only available in an avg. of say 9-10 games for four years.  $11 mil. On avg. was a nice price tag, and I started giving up hope Beane could sign him.

 

This was an excellent day for the signing.  He has months to rest up a and contribute in 21.

[John from Riverside]

2 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

If you want to make a point just spit it out, captain suspense.  

 

The numbers spell it out.   In Thomas Davis' years 2,3 and 4 he averaged nearly 95% of Carolina's defensive snaps.  Milano obviously nowhere near that.  In 6 of his 8 seasons Luke Kuechly played over 900 snaps.   Milano hasn't done that once in 4.   He literally played the equivalent of 5 regular season games worth of snaps in 2020.   Availability is an issue with Milano.  Fact.

Injuries are a concern.....but our record with him on the field is also undeniable

[NI Bills Fan]

11 hours ago, BillsMafi$ said:

Signing still gets us NO WHERE close to beating the chiefs 

late response on this I know ... but I would argue that this move, in comparison to releasing your entire O Line as the Chiefs just did, does get us closer to beating them.

[Jpsredemption]

Good...now hopefully this means we let Edmunds walk and swing again on a true MLB to pair with Milano. 

[GunnerBill]

2 hours ago, John from Riverside said:

Injuries are a concern.....but our record with him on the field is also undeniable

 

And that stat Sal C had.... Matt Milano was the biggest differential of any player IN THE NFL in 2020 in terms of yards per pass play given up with him on the field vs without him. I said it was 1.7 more yards per pass play without him last night but that sounds crazy high I think I must have misremembered, it must have been 0.7 I can't access Sal's articles because the WGR site isn't available in the UK due to GDPR but it was in his series of end of season articles, he did one on the linebackers and then a separate one on Milano. If someone could dig that stat out again for me I'd much appreciate it.  

[Big Turk]

GM's must have a VERY good idea that the cap is going to explode over the next 3 years...some have said it could approach or possibly even exceed $300 million in 5 years...

 

Someone speculated on this with Jerry Jones having no issue signing Prescott to that huge contract because in a few years that will be a bargain for QBs based on the cap going up so much.

Edited March 12, 2021 by Big Turk

[Coach Tuesday]

5 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

If you want to make a point just spit it out, captain suspense.  

 

The numbers spell it out.   In Thomas Davis' years 2,3 and 4 he averaged nearly 95% of Carolina's defensive snaps.  Milano obviously nowhere near that.  In 6 of his 8 seasons Luke Kuechly played over 900 snaps.   Milano hasn't done that once in 4.   He literally played the equivalent of 5 regular season games worth of snaps in 2020.   Availability is an issue with Milano.  Fact.

Seems like they were fully ready to let him walk and then he surprised them and offered to stay at a bit of a discount, and they figured they’d end up spending $3.5-$6M this year to replace him so why not spend a couple more million to get a known quantity (his cap hit for this year is under $10m I believe).  Not an irrational process.  
 

The takeaway remains that they need to really start hitting more efficiently on their (post-2017) draft picks to fill other holes.  They can’t afford any more Cody Fords or even Singletaries.

[YoloinOhio]

 

[3rdand12]

8 hours ago, atlbillsfan1975 said:

That is one way to view it. I am really admitting that Beane knows more about it than I do. Brandon has information I do not. He also knows other moves he is making with the roster. I also know somethings about football but I am willing to admit I don’t spend nearly the time or have the resources a NFL GM does. That is why I trust Beane. He has shown he can put together a good team.

well , we sound similar in thinking my friend

Still delighted about this Milano thing  !

[MrSarcasm]

5 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

If you want to make a point just spit it out, captain suspense.  

 

The numbers spell it out.   In Thomas Davis' years 2,3 and 4 he averaged nearly 95% of Carolina's defensive snaps.  Milano obviously nowhere near that.  In 6 of his 8 seasons Luke Kuechly played over 900 snaps.   Milano hasn't done that once in 4.   He literally played the equivalent of 5 regular season games worth of snaps in 2020.   Availability is an issue with Milano.  Fact.

You are all over the board here. Cherry picking years with random start and stop dates for certain players. 

 

Fact is Thomas Davis only started 1 game his first year( why you left that out?) and played a total of 9/48 games years 5,6, and 7. (Left that out?) If you are going to 'prove a point' you shouldn't have to cherry pick.

 

So by your own standards using (Thomas Davis's whole career)Milano literally has to only play 9 games in the next 3 years.

 

 

 

 

 

[YoloinOhio]

@Sherlock Holmes clears calendar...

 

 

[Stank_Nasty]

So there are people actually unhappy with this, eh? Huh. Interesting.... its basically the posters I wouldn’t expect anything less from. 

Edited March 12, 2021 by Stank_Nasty

[Stank_Nasty]

4 hours ago, machine gun kelly said:

He’s been available to play 54 of 64 games plus 5 playoff games.  So in the regular season 13.5 games on avg.  He didn’t always start in the beginning of his career.  He played himself into the starting role.

 

He had a tough year in 2020, but that doesn’t mean he’s only available in an avg. of say 9-10 games for four years.  $11 mil. On avg. was a nice price tag, and I started giving up hope Beane could sign him.

 

This was an excellent day for the signing.  He has months to rest up a and contribute in 21.

Thank you. This injury “concern” stuff is BS. The dude had a banged up season. Before this he had missed merely a handful of game’s in 3 seasons. 
 

I have no idea why some posters need to make things up to act like this isn’t a good deal. People will do absolutely anything they can to be a contrarian these days. Anything to feel like they know something the masses don’t. 
 

acting like the dude is a lock to miss 4 or 5 games a year is just foolish. 

[SWATeam]

5 hours ago, Gambit said:

Still have to score on that defense that smacked us around. 

Do you think it may help if EVERY SINGLE ONE of our wr’s was not injured???

[CorkScrewHill]

14 hours ago, davspo said:

Spotrac projected a 13.8 mil average. 

 

I did not see this posted above, but I didn't read all 26 pages in fairness.  This is  breakdown by Matt Warren prior to the signing based on recent comparable LB deals. 13+ million was expected .. so we did get a nice discount.

 

https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2021/2/2/22260683/contract-projection-for-buffalo-bills-linebacker-matt-milano-2021

 

[The Firebaugh Kid]

The drought Bills lacked many characteristics of a winning franchise. Continuity being #1 on the list. This signing is absolutely fantastic from that standpoint. 

[Hebert19]

13 hours ago, Jerboski said:

 Agreed... don’t get me wrong Milano is a good player and has value but in this cap year I’m doing everything I can to keep Williams (within reason) and get a proven edge rusher 

 

linebacker is a luxury not a necessity and I think can be replaced in the draft much easier than a great RT or proven pass rusher 

His cap hit is 7M.  That's pretty cheap. 

[Jobot]

Maybe we need to wait for the contract details.. but wasn't this board previously touting 10mil/year for Milano as walk-away from the table money?

[machine gun kelly]

26 minutes ago, Stank_Nasty said:

Thank you. This injury “concern” stuff is BS. The dude had a banged up season. Before this he had missed merely a handful of game’s in 3 seasons. 
 

I have no idea why some posters need to make things up to act like this isn’t a good deal. People will do absolutely anything they can to be a contrarian these days. Anything to feel like they know something the masses don’t. 
 

acting like the dude is a lock to miss 4 or 5 games a year is just foolish. 

Thanks Nasty.  Another tidbit Sal who analyzed as much as he could the contract, and made a significant pt. In the 6am hour for those that want to hear it on demand on radio.com.  His statement was he only earns that $44 mil. If he plays.  He has incentives to get to 44 by playing.  He did get a substantial of guaranteed which is not touchable.  So for the great Carnak guys who are predicting more injury proned years, he won’t get those $.

 

For you youngins and I was only a preteen at the end of this guys run, here is the Great and Mystical Carnak. (Not for you OldManFan, Shaw, Chand, and so on).

 

 

 

 

[Don Otreply]

43 minutes ago, Stank_Nasty said:

Thank you. This injury “concern” stuff is BS. The dude had a banged up season. Before this he had missed merely a handful of game’s in 3 seasons. 
 

I have no idea why some posters need to make things up to act like this isn’t a good deal. People will do absolutely anything they can to be a contrarian these days. Anything to feel like they know something the masses don’t. 
 

acting like the dude is a lock to miss 4 or 5 games a year is just foolish. 

It’s the usual suspects of course, these few some how have convinced themselves they know more about the entirety of what is going on with the Bills and the rest of the NFL than our GM does...,  life on the forums, it’s always entertaining, 😁👍

[dave mcbride]

14 hours ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

Very conflicted on this. Dude is an absolute baller and this is our super bowl window.  But at the same time, he struggles to stay healthy, OLB is one of the “easier” positions to replace, and it will cost us someone at a position I think is more important (OT, pass rusher, or Te).

 

can’t be mad keeping a good player and good for Matt. He is a legit playmaker. But if he left and they drafted someone like Zaven Collins and used the money elsewhere, could that be have been better? 😬

 

it will be interesting to see what they do next.

Good points, but there is also the issue of him becoming even more instinctive over time because he understands the bills D, which is relatively complex. I think we tend to overlook how guys like poyer and hyde hardly ever seem to make mental mistakes. That comes with time and innate football smarts, and i think milano has that attribute. This is all to say he may get even better.

[KingBoots8]

[C.Biscuit97]

28 minutes ago, Don Otreply said:

It’s the usual suspects of course, these few some how have convinced themselves they know more about the entirety of what is going on with the Bills and the rest of the NFL than our GM does...,  life on the forums, it’s always entertaining, 😁👍

This post doesn’t make sense to me. McBeane have done an amazing job. But you couldn’t question trading up Zay Jones? Or trading for Kelvin Benjamin? Or signing Trent Murphy? Or repeatedly trying to make Peterman a thing? 
 

you know it’s ok to love a team and question a few decisions. And I don’t think I’ve seen one post not saying Matt isn’t a good player. But he does have some health concerns (tough dude but he is undersized) and even with the “discount”, it’s a lot of money that some think could have been used for something else that might be a bigger need. 
 

what’s up with our society that everyone just wants to live in echo chamber of the same thoughts? 

[SoCal Deek]

Jumping in here really late but this is yet another example of why I always leave the GM work ...to the actual GM!! All of this contract and cap stuff is way more complicated than anyone on this message board will ever know. That doesn’t mean the Milano deal is a good or bad one but it does mean that Beane isn’t making these moves one at a time or in a vacuum. He’s got a ton of moving pieces he’s got to take care of. I’m going to let him do his job and see how the ENTIRE puzzle fits together following both free agency and the draft. 

Edited March 12, 2021 by SoCal Deek

[C.Biscuit97]

32 minutes ago, dave mcbride said:

Good points, but there is also the issue of him becoming even more instinctive over time because he understands the bills D, which is relatively complex. I think we tend to overlook how guys like poyer and hyde hardly ever seem to make mental mistakes. That comes with time and innate football smarts, and i think milano has that attribute. This is all to say he may get even better.

Totally agree and I hope it is clear I love the player. Baller. I just think their certain positions you lock up no matter what - qb (though they murder your cap), elite pass rusher, lockdown corner, OT, MLB. I think an elite receiver has also entered that territory too and safety might as well. So when you are going to face salary cap issues, you have to make some tough decisions. 
 

so even if I love Milano, in a perfect world, I’d rather have a stud pass rusher and/ OT and try to replace Milano in the draft. But we locked up a top 10 OLB so it’s hardly a bad thing if that makes sense.

4 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

Jumping in here really late but this is yet another example of why I always leave the GM work ...to the actual GM!! All of this contract and cap stuff is way more complicated than anyone on this message board will ever know. That doesn’t mean the Milano deal is a good or bad one but it does mean that Beane isn’t making these moves one at a time or in a vacuum. He’s got a ton of moving pieces he’s got to take care of. I’m going to let him do his job and see how the ENTIRE puzzle fits together following both free agency and the draft. 

So you never complain about the president?