Bills restructure Diggs contract; create 7.8. Mill in cap space

[BuffaloBills1998]

Just now, Tom Donahoe, GM said:

 

Because "aging" doesn't matter if you only have him for one year, and obviously people are banking on the production drop being from offensive dysfunction in Philly.

 

Whether or not you agree is a different matter.

 

I can see how one can make the argument about Philly’s offense being dysfunctional and Wentz etc. But several can make the argument that his production dropped a huge amount last year and that he’s injury prone. But We’ll see what happens

[Buffalo_Stampede]

2 minutes ago, appoo said:

not that worried about Star suddenly 

Well not worried about his conditioning. He still isn't very good. 

[YoloinOhio]

4 minutes ago, appoo said:

not that worried about Star suddenly 

Lol I just posted this in one of the Star threads. Evidently his ears were burning 

[ColoradoBills]

9 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

I think they would prefer to override the 5th year because otherwise they take that entire 5th yr option cap hit in 2022 and the extension picks up in the 6th yr. If they extend him beforehand they can spread it out (similar to Mahomes)

 

Yolo, technically Mahomes is playing on his 5th year option.  THEN starting in 2022 is his 10 year contract.

KC didn't take the whole 5th year option hit because they restructured.

 

The unique deal about Mahomes contract is that it didn't have a big signing bonus.

A lot of his guarantees are tied into roster bonuses and salary guarantees.

 

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/patrick-mahomes-21751/

Edited June 1, 2021 by ColoradoBills

[ngbills]

9 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

That is your payroll system withholding that money because they use an aggregate method. You get it back when you file your taxes. Even if the bonus is considered supplemental income, the tax rate there is only 22% (or 25%?) in the end.

People always get confused with this. They think the money is lost forever and seem to forget about filing taxes at the end of the year when it is all evened out. I would expect all NFL paychecks are taxed at the highest tax rate on every paycheck. So they dont even have to worry about more being taken out of this check or that one. 

[Dablitzkrieg]

7 minutes ago, appoo said:

not that worried about Star suddenly 

Well I stand corrected

[DrDawkinstein]

1 minute ago, ngbills said:

People always get confused with this. They think the money is lost forever and seem to forget about filing taxes at the end of the year when it is all evened out. I would expect all NFL paychecks are taxed at the highest tax rate on every paycheck. So they dont even have to worry about more being taken out of this check or that one. 

 

I was actually surprised a while back when I learned players are W2ed and not 1099ed. But that probably saves a lot of dumb players from big trouble every April.

7 minutes ago, BuffaloBills1998 said:

I can see how one can make the argument about Philly’s offense being dysfunctional and Wentz etc. But several can make the argument that his production dropped a huge amount last year and that he’s injury prone. But We’ll see what happens

 

Can he catch passes that hit him in the hands? If so, he's an upgrade over Knox.

[GunnerBill]

4 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

I don't know. He still looks sharp to me. I know Allen and Davis got him. I just love the fit. We play so much cover 3, that's what he lives on. 

 

I think he looked done last year. It would have to be a very cheap deal for me to consider it.

[BuffaloBills1998]

https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/nfl-zach-ertz-trade-bills/amp this is a good insight on the good and the bad of an Ertz trade

[NewEra]

24 minutes ago, appoo said:

to be fair the Chiefs DBs in that game got to play with a different set of rules than the rest of the NFL.

 

Also the Bills WRs resembled the cast of the Walking Dead after a battle 

What does that have to do with the Bills DBs in game?  We gave every target 5 yards of room in the first half.  We tried to play more man and play aggressively in the second half and we got torched even worse.  People act like because we play a lot of zone, that we don’t need good corners.  That’s nonsense.  The scheme can make up for some deficiencies, but if we can’t win with scheme, we can’t make it up in other ways because our corners can’t be trusted in man.  If we play a lot of man on 3rd down....we should have another corner that can cover well in man. 

[BuffaloBills1998]

11 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

I was actually surprised a while back when I learned players are W2ed and not 1099ed. But that probably saves a lot of dumb players from big trouble every April.

 

Can he catch passes that hit him in the hands? If so, he's an upgrade over Knox.

But can he run routes and create separation from defenders and also run block when we run the ball?? That’s real question not if he can just catch

Edited June 1, 2021 by BuffaloBills1998

[Norcalbillsfan]

If it's a signing I hope it's CB2. I'm sorry unless ertz comes for cheap I don't think he brings that much to the table. Honestly I think speed out of the backfield was much more of a need than TE production and I think we quietly took care of that with brieda. So why spend way more money on what was less of a need?

[appoo]

4 minutes ago, NewEra said:

What does that have to do with the Bills DBs in game?  We gave every target 5 yards of room in the first half.  We tried to play more man and play aggressively in the second half and we got torched even worse.  People act like because we play a lot of zone, that we don’t need good corners.  That’s nonsense.  The scheme can make up for some deficiencies, but if we can’t win with scheme, we can’t make it up in other ways because our corners can’t be trusted in man.  If we play a lot of man on 3rd down....we should have another corner that can cover well in man. 

ah my bad I misinterpreted your post. Agree with the problem you identify, but think our prescription is different. When Mahomes is given time, I don’t know how any NFL defense copes with the versatility and explosiveness of KCs weapons, given Mahomes arm talent. At that point, you’re just picking how you want to die.

 

Ita gonna have to be pressure. Either manufactured through the blitz or from the front 4

[Process]

33 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

If you give Pat Mahomes all day to stand there, he will pick any DBs in the league apart.  I guarantee it.

Seriously - who would hold up in coverage against Mahomes, Kelce, and Hill for the kind of time Mahomes got from us?

 

I'm not trying to say we don't need an upgrade at DB or at the very least, quality depth because I'm on record as saying we do.

 

But  IMO the big Achilles heel for our D vs KC was DL.

You are obviously not wrong about Mahomes but I disagree. I think the biggest issues in the championship game were 1. Coaching 2. Coverage. I don't know if a pass rush would have helped. The Chiefs had guys running wide open from the snap on what seemed like every play. WIDE open, guys just running free all over the place. 

[NewEra]

25 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

If you give Pat Mahomes all day to stand there, he will pick any DBs in the league apart.  I guarantee it.

Seriously - who would hold up in coverage against Mahomes, Kelce, and Hill for the kind of time Mahomes got from us?

 

I'm not trying to say we don't need an upgrade at DB or at the very least, quality depth because I'm on record as saying we do.

 

But  IMO the big Achilles heel for our D vs KC was DL.

I agree that the pass rush was awful and was part of the reason.  Our DBs weren’t even close to their WRs and TEs.  They weren’t wide open just because of the pass rush.  The way I see it, which could be off base, our coaches are hamstrung into playing select coverage because of our cb2.  He has to have extra help, which opens up other areas.  Tremaine has the biggest coverage zone I’ve ever seen.  While Tremaines instincts may not be top notch yet, the area he is accounting for is a tough cover for any lb.  Part of that is because Hyde is usually shaded closer to Wallace than I think a safety would normally be.  
 

like you said, we need an upgrade at Cb.  Pass rush was the biggest problem..... and having a limited cb2 made the problem ever worse.  While I hope our Rousseau, Basham and Obada can make our pass rush a strength, I’m not sold that it’ll be enough for 2021

[Einstein's Dog]

4 minutes ago, BuffaloBills1998 said:

https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/nfl-zach-ertz-trade-bills/amp this is a good insight on the good and the bad of an Ertz trade

Good insight?  It's an anti-Ertz article, doing a contrarian take to get clicks (got mine).  Started poorly pretty much from the start with "The Bills as a team presumably in 'We can win a Super bowl and should try to do that no matter the cost".  What?  Whose presumption is that?  That's not how the Bills have operated at all.

 

They cherry pick the poor years of Ertz, instead of using career averages.  They then use the horrendous recent years and think/imply Ertz will be used in the same way  at Buffalo.  Philly had terrible luck/talent/injuries at WR and Ertz out of necessity had his role changed.

 

This would not be an awkward fit for the Bills.  I don't know, did this guy write the same thing about Diggs.

[loveorhatembillsfan4life]

Maybe a Star extension coming 😆

[NewEra]

10 minutes ago, appoo said:

ah my bad I misinterpreted your post. Agree with the problem you identify, but think our prescription is different. When Mahomes is given time, I don’t know how any NFL defense copes with the versatility and explosiveness of KCs weapons, given Mahomes arm talent. At that point, you’re just picking how you want to die.

 

Ita gonna have to be pressure. Either manufactured through the blitz or from the front 4

I agree, a top notch pass rush would fix it....

I just don’t think our offseason results have given us a top notch pass rush.  Rousseau, Basham and Obada are nice adds, they just don’t stand out to be as huge difference makers for this season.  A season in which we can win the SB with an improved D

[ICanSleepWhenI'mDead]

6 hours ago, Process said:

There is no difference in tax rate for a salary vs a bonus

 

Athletes pay state income taxes to the states where they play their games.  When schedule was 16 games, Diggs and every other Bills player would pay NY state income taxes for 8 home games out of 16 total games = half their salary.

 

If structured properly, signing bonuses are taxed by the player's state of residence, not where the athlete plays games.  I  don't know which state Diggs claims as his residence, but converting salary to a signing bonus gives the player the opportunity to have the bonus money (1) taxed by a lower tax state if the player maintains his permanent residence in a state with lower income tax rates than NY, or (2) taxed by no state if the player resides in FL, NV or a few others.

 

From https://awmcap.com/blog/how-your-mlb-signing-bonus-is-taxed

 

"The first critical piece of information you must understand is how your signing bonus will be taxed.

 

What constitutes a true “signing” bonus has often been a matter of disagreement between taxpayers and taxing authorities.  Taxing authorities routinely challenge taxpayer “signing bonus” assertions, often prevailing under the ruling that the bonus relates to all provisions in the contract, not just the act of signing.  If not a “signing bonus,” the income is apportioned as part of regular wages. “Signing” bonuses are not subject to state apportionment if they meet all of the following conditions:

 

the bonus is not conditional on playing any games for the team;

is payable separately from any other compensation;

and is not refundable.

 

A true signing bonus is not apportioned as part of wages and is generally taxed to the athlete’s state of residence, which in many cases results in a more favorable outcome."

[TheyCallMeAndy]

I believe I’m the one who said Star would show up a shredded 315.

 

Ill take my prize now 😂

[Boxcar]

3 hours ago, The Dean said:

 

If Diggs had a say in the matter, then it is absolutely good for the team to clear some cap for this year. The bill still comes due, but this isn't the best time for the Bills to pay that bill. If the Bills can now sign a CB/TE or re-up Josh, how can that not be good for the team?

You misunderstood what I said.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

9 minutes ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

I believe I’m the one who said Star would show up a shredded 315.

 

Ill take my prize now 😂

You win a mint condition John McCargo rookie card.

[BuffaloBills1998]

33 minutes ago, Einstein's Dog said:

Good insight?  It's an anti-Ertz article, doing a contrarian take to get clicks (got mine).  Started poorly pretty much from the start with "The Bills as a team presumably in 'We can win a Super bowl and should try to do that no matter the cost".  What?  Whose presumption is that?  That's not how the Bills have operated at all.

 

They cherry pick the poor years of Ertz, instead of using career averages.  They then use the horrendous recent years and think/imply Ertz will be used in the same way  at Buffalo.  Philly had terrible luck/talent/injuries at WR and Ertz out of necessity had his role changed.

 

This would not be an awkward fit for the Bills.  I don't know, did this guy write the same thing about Diggs.

I got good insight from it. I think it’s just some of you guys don’t want to hear it. You don’t want to hear the negativity and the reality of it all. All you see is, Ertz will get us to the Super Bowl, he’s the missing piece etc. when in reality our secondary needs the most work not TE. 

[Orlando Tim]

The boring version is that this is just to make sure we have some wiggle room this season in case we need someone come week 3 due to injury, which is really what I think it is.

[BuffaloBills1998]

1 minute ago, Buffalo Timmy said:

The boring version is that this is just to make sure we have some wiggle room this season in case we need someone come week 3 due to injury, which is really what I think it is.

Interesting perspective, I didn’t look at this way. Like I said, I think some people on this board are getting there hopes up for something that’s most likely not going to happen. I just don’t see us trading for either Ertz or Jones. That’s just my opinion 

[ColoradoBills]

2 minutes ago, BuffaloBills1998 said:

I got good insight from it. I think it’s just some of you guys don’t want to hear it. You don’t want to hear the negativity and the reality of it all. All you see is, Ertz will get us to the Super Bowl, he’s the missing piece etc. when in reality our secondary needs the most work not TE. 

 

I agree with you '98.  Giving up a draft pick and his cap hit would not be worth it IMO.

If he is cut and wants to sign for 1 year <$5M that's a different story.

[Big Turk]

8 hours ago, aceman_16 said:

Well....I am torn between getting a player this year OR save it for next year to help with Allen's and Edmund's contracts.

 

No need to be torn the cap is skyrocketing within a few years, plenty of money to go around...potentially will be up over $100 million in 5 years

[Doc]

The Bills clear $7.8M in cap room and they haven't traded for Ertz yet?  I'm done with this team!

[BuffaloBills1998]

13 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

I agree with you '98.  Giving up a draft pick and his cap hit would not be worth it IMO.

If he is cut and wants to sign for 1 year <$5M that's a different story.

Exactly, if Philly can’t find a trade partner then they’re only options are either keeping him for the season or cutting him loose completely. If they cut him loose then sure go make an offer and see if he’ll accept it. 

2 minutes ago, Doc said:

The Bills clear $7.8M in cap room and they haven't traded for Ertz yet?  I'm done with this team!

Lol I hope that’s sarcasm. 

[Protocal69]

1 hour ago, appoo said:

to be fair the Chiefs DBs in that game got to play with a different set of rules than the rest of the NFL.

 

Also the Bills WRs resembled the cast of the Walking Dead after a battle 

Yeah and I got the receipts. They tried the same thing vs Tampa and got their hand caught in the cookie jar 

[Einstein's Dog]

22 minutes ago, BuffaloBills1998 said:

I got good insight from it. I think it’s just some of you guys don’t want to hear it. You don’t want to hear the negativity and the reality of it all. All you see is, Ertz will get us to the Super Bowl, he’s the missing piece etc. when in reality our secondary needs the most work not TE. 

True, in that I want Ertz.  Doesn't mean the article isn't flawed. 

 

The idea that Ertz would take away snaps from Beas or Diggs is ridiculous.  Just because Ertz played there in Philly, doesn't mean he would do that in Buffalo.  He's taking snaps away from Knox.

 

Another mark they use against Ertz is his declining man to man percentages.  Even if you believe them, what team employs a man to man scheme against Buffalo these days?  It was suicide last year.  It's a plus to Buffalo if Ertz was tearing apart zones.

 

You trade for Ertz because you do not want Ertz hitting the open market.  The Bills will lose out in a bidding war.  In a trade you get the contract negotiation done before the deal is made.

[Warcodered]

2 hours ago, appoo said:

not that worried about Star suddenly 

Damn did Star eat a faster skinnier guy?

Edited June 1, 2021 by Warcodered

[HOUSE]

1 hour ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

I believe I’m the one who said Star would show up a shredded 315.

 

Ill take my prize now 😂

After he actually shows young lad....

[SoCal Deek]

So does this mean our record breaking long snapper makes more than Diggs? 

[3rdand12]

8 hours ago, Beerball said:

He lost nothing here. You do understand that?

Beane has a plan. 👨‍🔬

McBean might have been a bit sarcastic and speaking in a Minnesota  type accent as well ^^

 

 sorry still reading about this very good news for everyone involved 

[ngbills]

In no order:

 

Ertz (trade not FA)

Julio Jones (trade not FA)

Sheldon Richardson

Steven Nelson
Brian Poole

Melvin Ingram

Richard Sherman

Justin Houston

KJ Wright

Olivier Vernon

Le'Veon Bell

Malik Hooker

Darqueze Dennard

Tre Boston

Kawann Short

Jurrell Casey

Geno Atkins

Todd Gurley

Kwon Alexander

 

 

 

[Beerball]

7 minutes ago, ngbills said:

In no order:

 

Ertz (trade not FA)

Julio Jones (trade not FA)

Sheldon Richardson

Steven Nelson
Brian Poole

Melvin Ingram

Richard Sherman

Justin Houston

KJ Wright

Olivier Vernon

Le'Veon Bell

Malik Hooker

Darqueze Dennard

Tre Boston

Kawann Short

Jurrell Casey

Geno Atkins

Todd Gurley

Kwon Alexander

 

 

 

I know nothing, but i see zero reason to waste capital on Jones.

[ngbills]

5 minutes ago, Beerball said:

I know nothing, but i see zero reason to waste capital on Jones.

Personally I see better ways to spend the money. But at the same time - covering Diggs and a healthy Jones? With Beasley, Davis and Sanders...

[BobbyC81]

10 hours ago, aceman_16 said:

Well....I am torn between getting a player this year OR save it for next year to help with Allen's and Edmund's contracts.

Gotta be for Josh’s extension.  Beane said it would be priority after draft.

[The Dean]

2 hours ago, Boxcar said:

You misunderstood what I said.

 

Actually, I thought you might have been claiming solid knowledge on Diggs' reasons/motivation for agreeing to the extension*. That or you were just being a cynic who likes to introduce some dark clouds into the bit of sunshine this news brought.

 

But I was giving you the benefit of the doubt. Since you didn't claim to have any special friendship,  or business association with Diggs, how would you have any idea what he considered or his motivations? Obviously helping the team make a nice signing this year helps the team. Why might that not be a factor in Diggs decision?

 

*It was mentioned some restructures MIGHT not require a players consent. Even if that were the case, I doubt the Biils would just impose it without dealing with Diggs first.