OK, this could be trouble...

[BLeonard]

This will directly affect us and our efforts to get Takeo Spikes...

One player not visiting Cincinnati is Eagles linebacker Shawn Barber. “The St. Louis Post-Dispatch,” reported in Monday’s editions that Barber had cancelled his trip to the Rams after taking what is believed to be a seven-year, $30 million deal in Kansas City.

From the Bengals website.... Not good.

-Bill

[Ingtar33]

7 year 30 mil? holly cow crap batman!

That is way more than I thought he was worth, no wonder he canceled the trip to St Louis, after seeing that offer his agent must have fell out of his chair, and Barber must have broke his pen in his haste to sign it...

What the hell is KC doing paying him that much money? Furthermore they just signed their own WLB to a big contract, why would they need another one? Are they switching schemes to a 3-4?

Guys the price for an OLB has just been set fairly high (4.3mil per year for the worst of the big name unsigned guys left)

[SoCalBillsFan]

OUCH! that is wayyyyy to much money. How are we supposed to get peterson or spikes without putting up that kind of cash? I really hope this isnt true.

Hopefully TD has something up his sleeve...

[Ingtar33]

If guys like Barber can command a 4.3mil contract...

Wow, I think were gonna have to shell out something like 5.5 to 6 mil for Spikes or Peterson.

[SoCalBillsFan]

:down: No way we can afford that and still get the players we need!

[Ingtar33]

I'd still like to know why they saw the need to get another WLB... unless they plan to move one to MLB? Because both Maslowski and Barber are too undersized and weak to play SLB.

[Tatonka]

maslowski to mlb, i bet.

[WG]

I've always thought Spikes would go at $6-7M given the hype. Peterson while up there on the "wish list" for many teams, won't command that. He'll be in the $5M range, maybe a little less depending upon the details of the contract. You've got to remember to look at that contract however for Barber. It's the bonus and then the years where the contract is reasonable that count. I'm assuming that there's an $8M +/- bonus attached leaving $22M which is likely apportioned ranging from vet min or near $1M in the first year to something like $8M or so on the back end. If that's the case, then he may not, likely won't see the back end of that contract. So in effect it could be a 4 or 5 year deal depending upon how it was structured.

Those contracts often change depending upon who's doing them, which agent/team, etc. Some contracts are written such that a player will likely be around for the entire thing. I still think there's a chance we could get Peterson for around $4-5M per year practically, which would be equitable IMO. It'd surely help the team a lot more than having Price will.

Just like on O, we need a player(s), who will take over and make the D theirs. Someone who can be counted on to make big plays when it really counts. That's gonna be either a LB or a DE. Right now we're empty!

Price needs to get moved this week or have the tag dropped and we need to sign someone big. I'm curious as to what ticket sales are doing. I've heard many say, some from these boards, that they were not going to renew due to the price increase. With an increase in price, the team had better make the improvements that many fans realize are necessary in order for the team to win this year. It would be a box office mistake not too. Exciting offense only goes so far.

I gotta tell ya though, if we're gonna pay one player $5M, then I'd rather it'd be Peterson. He's not the playmaker that Spikes is,

[WG]

Originally posted by SoCalBillsFan
:down: No way we can afford that and still get the players we need!

Not with the status of Price the way it is.

I still think we can sign Thornton, Johnstone, and Peterson and still have enough left over for what we need elsewhere as long as Price is dealt with very soon. The signing of those three would fix our D. Posey was a stupid signing IMO, especially this early on.

Seems like TD is in the "bargain budget" mode again shopping for "guys who all of a sudden are gonna blossom in Buffalo".

I'm tellin' ya, one more such signing and I'm gonna start losin' faith here.

[Novacane]

It only takes one stupid team to drive up the market. Way to go KC!

[Banamaniac]

Start losin' faith ? :rofl:

[don137]

You have to figure Barber's contract is backloaded. Hopefully players will see it for what it is really is which is more than likely a 3 year contact at best. They backloaded Trent Green's contract. They are heading to salary cap jail in a couple of years and they have an RB that is not happy at all with there contract.

[Novacane]

Very good point Don.

[WG]

I agree 137!!!

Besides, there's no such thing as driving up the market in the NFL. Otherwise WR's would have cost an arm and a leg after Butler's Dwight signing last year. They didn't.

Teams will only pay what a guy is worth for the most part. Some stupid GMs will make boneheaded decisions. But if you look at their clubs, they generally aren't winning clubs. K.C.? Case in point. Indy, Dungy's an idiot and that can't be any more clear after Gruden's first year SB win in T.B. this past season as Indy goes in the can.

Some GM's are too hasty in signing players early. I'm for moving, especially for the players that would help your team, such as Noble would have been for us. But you never overpay.

Eg., I was really hoping to get Spikes here, but now that we see that he may end up signing a $6-8M contract, it's not worth it. I still think we could sign Peterson to a nice deal worth about $4.5 or $5M.

And Thornton, after the Noble signing, he may not even go for the $3M I thought he would. So he'd be a sweet deal right now if we move and get our hat into the ring early.

[WG]

Originally posted by Ingtar33
I'd still like to know why they saw the need to get another WLB... unless they plan to move one to MLB? Because both Maslowski and Barber are too undersized and weak to play SLB.

Funny thing is is that K.C. like us, needed LBs to help them stop the run. Neither of those guys is a great run D LB and Barber is primarily a pass D LB.

[Ingtar33]

Wys...

I think you're low balling Peterson's worth... in most eyes he's viewed as being just a little bit worse than Spikes (if you were to ask NFL type people I think you'd see grades like these... Spikes an A, Peterson an A-)...

But you're right, structured right we might be able to get one of these guys for 5mil per season... just don't forget that Philly, NO, StLo and Cinci still are actively seeking out a WLB, and the supply is running very thin, which should drive the prices up for the remaining guys...

[WG]

All I know is that in an article written by Prisco today, he claims that Peterson's asking for $4M.

"But the Colts front office made re-signing Saturday a priority, which was a strange decision considering the Colts will let linebacker Mike Peterson walk. Peterson, by the way, is said to be asking for $4 million a year for his new contract. "

http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/6224285

Ya gotta remember that there are gonna be some gross "overpayings" early on in FAcy. Besides, I'm not so sure Barber's not that good. He's an excellent pass D LB even if he isn't that great against the run. He's one of the better LBs against the pass. That's why I'm surprised that K.C., a team in desperate need of some rush D signed him.

[ArcticWildMan]

Maybe now the folks who said "be patient" will rethink their idea. When you wait around like we are, you let other teams set the price of players, and most times that is a recipe for disaster as this signing seems to indicate.

[colin]

Without the terms, this $30-7 means nothing.

If the last 3 years are over 5 each, then he barely got more then Fletcher or Cowart.

[ArcticWildMan]

We can hope :pray:

[BillsNYC]

lets keep our fingers crossed that spikes isn't all about money...and really wants to go to a super bowl contender and a team on the rise...

[TedMock]

It doesn't matter if Spikes isn't about the money at this point. Right now he's transitioned at 4.8mil. The Bengals obviously offered that much and have the right to match anything we throw out. So at the bear minimum it's a 5million dollar year for him. We'd have to hope Cincy doesn't match seeing that he doesn't want to play there and then restructure the contract. If he wasn't tagged to begin with I think he may have come cheaper.