Hopkins released by Arizona (7/16: signed by Titans)

[Buffalo_Stampede]

 

[dave mcbride]

4 hours ago, Mango said:

 

I recommend getting the A22 from NFL+. I re-watch every week and I see plays like below over and over. Allen doesn't even look at Shakir to his right who is wide open. He could have hopscotched into the endzone. Instead he thread the needle for a tough throw to Davis. The result is a highlight reel TD. On TV we see that and think "Allen has to put the team on his back. There are only contested throws. Our WR can't get open. Dorsey sucks, why can't he scheme anything". 

 

https://imgur.com/a/PG2vZc7

 

Allen is a generational talent and his talent plus moxy allows him to get away with a lot more than other less talented players in the league. But low percentage plays are still low percentage even if you are better at them than your peers. It has a tendency to stall our offense.  We just force the ball down field far too often. Josh almost never lets the ball go at the top of his drop. Sometimes he doesn't see the entire field. Sometimes he wants the bigger play and ignores the easy money. None the less a quicker release and spreading the ball out a lot more will help the run game, OL, and Diggs.

This is certainly a nuanced discussion where Dorsey, the OL, and our WR group all need to be better. But it is worth mentioning that that part of the load that Josh carries is weight he unnecessarily puts on his own shoulders. 

 

I will be hyped if we somehow navigate signing Hopkins. But we don't "neeeeeeed" Hopkins. Part of the expectation (rightfully) placed on a $40M QB is to do a lot more with a lot less than other QB's in the league. 

To echo @HappyDays, Davis is wide open on that play.

[BillsfaninSB]

4 hours ago, longtimebillsfan said:

My wife and I attended game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals last night. What a game... anyway, Hopkins was in attendance cranking the air raid siren before the beginning of the 3rd period.

 

Does this mean the Raiders are in play to sign DeAndre?

This would be ideal.  Not on the Chiefs  but same division. 

[SCBills]

8 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

 

 

I have no idea what this tweet means.

 

Are we over by 3-5M.  Do we have over 3-5M in cap?

 

Why more moves needed if the latter? 

[Irv]

I think we should try to get Hopkins.  

[Dr. Who]

9 minutes ago, SCBills said:

 

I have no idea what this tweet means.

 

Are we over by 3-5M.  Do we have over 3-5M in cap?

 

Why more moves needed if the latter? 

I'm assuming the latter. We should be under the cap, so we have 3 to 5M which seems somewhat imprecise.

The implied context is if there is an expensive FA out there, we'd have to make further moves unless they want to lower their asking price.

Or maybe it's just badly written. People don't read and can't write anything much over fifty words nowadays.

[BillsFanForever19]

9 minutes ago, SCBills said:

 

I have no idea what this tweet means.

 

Are we over by 3-5M.  Do we have over 3-5M in cap?

 

Why more moves needed if the latter? 

 

Spotrac has us at 7.1 under before Leonard Floyd is calculated in at 7. 

 

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/cap/

 

So we're definitely not 3-5 under. I don't know how we're 3-5 over. Unless he's already figuring in the money we'll need for the Practice Squad and/or emergency money during the season.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

29 minutes ago, SCBills said:

 

I have no idea what this tweet means.

 

Are we over by 3-5M.  Do we have over 3-5M in cap?

 

Why more moves needed if the latter? 

3-5 million cap space after all the deals.

[BillsFanForever19]

Okay, here's the explanation. We have a little over 4 that we can use right now with the Top 51 rules, but if the season were to start today, we'd be over.

 

 

[BillsFanForever19]

Took the time to transcribe the actual quotes from today's presser with Beane re: The Cap:

 

Q: What's your cap situation?

 

Beane: My cap situation? You would ask me that, Adam. I've been doing a lot of things. I think we're around just over 4. But that's Top 51. Without going through a 20 minute lecture here, Top 51 versus doing some projections with Kevin and Jim. I'm going to guess with adding Leonard we're going to be minus 3-5. Somewhere in there. I haven't done that in the last day, but somewhere in that. So projecting how we would cut, that's no injuries, we're still going to have to do some moves at some point to create more room. So even though today on the Top 51 we have, I believe a little over 4 - we really don't. Just knowing who we think has the best chance to make our roster and how guarantees are shaped and all that, i'd say it's going to be somewhere between 3 and 5 (over the cap).

 

Q: How much flexibility to do something significant beyond this? 

 

*Beane shakes head 'no'*

 

Q: You said you're still going to look, but nothing significant?

 

A: I'm going to look and if someone wants to come for cheap, come on down.

 

 

The talk of "something significant" was clearly to me the reporter asking about Hopkins without directly doing so and Beane's response to me was clearly a message to Hopkins.

 

So if Hopkins wants to come cheap, "come on down". As I've said from the get go, he's going to have to come around to our offer. And likely, that isn't going to happen unless his market is dry and he decides to take a 1 year prove it deal with a winning team to improve his stock for next season.

 

That's ultimately where I feel Beane is at. If Hopkins wants to play with Josh, he'll have to take a team friendly deal knowing where we're at financially. If he doesn't, he doesn't need to have him with what he's already done this offseason.

Edited June 7, 2023 by BillsFanForever19

[JakeFrommStateFarm]

Looks like no dhop

[Success]

Just now, JakeFrommStateFarm said:

Looks like no dhop

 

Personally, I never saw it as a real possibility.  His contract is too big for our cap.

 

[Warriorspikes51]

26 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

Yea bummer… my guess is Beane wouldn’t budge on price for Hopkins…. Will be interested to see numbers when he signs.

He doesn’t have a contract though.

Obviously we’re somewhat limited, however there are many instances where Beane says he isn’t / won’t do something and then it happens 
 

[Warriorspikes51]

 

We’re still in it. Later on it was mentioned Hopkins did not have an official visit with Houston

Edited June 6, 2023 by Warriorspikes51

[jaybills]

9 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

 

We’re still in it. Later on it was mentioned Hopkins did not have an official visit with Houston

I'm confused because simply I'm not that smart but after signing Floyd, I thought there was no way we go for Hopkins. Now I hear we are 4M over and somehow we still have a good chance to get him on team friendly deal? The Floyd pick up was a surprise because I was thinking the extension to Oliver and maybe another player or two was to get DeAndre here. Now, we have to make moves just to roster the guys we currently have. What am I missing? How are we still in play for Dhop?

[billsfan89]

TwoBillsDrive cap scientists does anyone know what the Bills can do to make any more cap space? 
 

Are there any more restructures they can do? I’m not sure if there are any other extensions they can do either. 
 

Just interesting to see where the Bills can go cap wise if they want to make a last move or two. 
 

After adding the veteran edge they needed, the Bills needs are less but WR, back up LT and MLB are all still additions the Bills can make.

[Warriorspikes51]

18 minutes ago, billsfan89 said:

TwoBillsDrive cap scientists does anyone know what the Bills can do to make any more cap space? 
 

Are there any more restructures they can do? I’m not sure if there are any other extensions they can do either. 
 

Just interesting to see where the Bills can go cap wise if they want to make a last move or two. 
 

After adding the veteran edge they needed, the Bills needs are less but WR, back up LT and MLB are all still additions the Bills can make.

Tre & Dion can each be restructured creating around 6 mil in space for each. DaQuan Jones can (should!) be extended. I believe that would open up 4 mil. Hyde could be extended as well 

[BillsFanForever19]

1 hour ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

Obviously we’re somewhat limited, however there are many instances where Beane says he isn’t / won’t do something and then it happens 

 

1 hour ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

 

We’re still in it. Later on it was mentioned Hopkins did not have an official visit with Houston

 

Yes, he didn't close the door on it so technically, we are still in it.

 

But if you read between the lines of what he said today (I transcribed that above) and what he said to Pat McAfee yesterday:

 

“We are all about people who want to come to Buffalo. We love it, especially if they fit. Obviously DeAndre’s a heck of a talent . . . Nothing but respect for him. It would definitely have to fit with how we would structure the salary and all that. Never rule it out, but know he’s a good player and he’ll probably command a decent contract.”

 

... it's pretty clear what he's saying. We've talked to him. We probably have an offer out. But that offer is what works for Beane and the Bills. It's a team friendly deal, most likely a prove it deal to improve his stock for next offseason. Nothing "significant".

 

It's there for Hopkins if he wants it. But Beane expects someone's going to pay him significantly. And that won't be us. He can't pay a lot and won't pay a lot for what he clearly feels is a luxury add on piece at this point after what he's already done to his Pass Catching core. It's pretty clear he determined that another Edge Rusher with Von coming off of the ACL was more important.

 

Fingers crossed Hopkins comes back to our deal and determines a chance to win is worth more than money on a lesser team. But I wouldn't hold my breath.

Edited June 6, 2023 by BillsFanForever19

[Warriorspikes51]

 

[billsfan89]

14 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

Tre & Dion can each be restructured creating around 6 mil in space for each. DaQuan Jones can (should!) be extended. I believe that would open up 4 mil. Hyde could be extended as well 

I think the Bills will need to consider future dead cap charges for restructuring. Hyde is older and coming off an injury, and given the safety market this past offseason I think they just let Hyde’s deal play out rather than go for short term cap help.

 

Tre is another one I think they don’t restructure as they likely want to keep the flexibility of being able to cut him if he can’t come back from his injury. Right now the dead cap on Tre for 2024 is already large at 10 million but it still provides some savings opening up 6 million in space and the dead cap in 2025 the last year of Tre’s deal is fairly minimal. 
 

But Dawkins would be a solid option to free up some space as he is fairly young doesn’t have a major injury history and doesn’t have too many years left on his deal.

 

A D Jones extension is a toss up. Jones is 31 at a position where 31 is not ancient but is not young either. He doesn’t have an injury history and the Bills only have one other DT on the roster signed for next season. But the Bills might want to keep their options open as Poona Ford who will be 29 in 2024 with less years in the league may be a better use of cap dollars?

 

Based on my own opinion they won’t touch the Tre and Hyde deals but they will do Dawkins and could go either way on Jones. 
 

Good to know if the need a little more space for another move they can find It