Show Him The Money

[patmoran2006]

From Jerry Sullivan's Blog
Show Him the Money? (http://buffalonews.typepad.com/sully_on_sports/2007/12/show-him-the-mo.html)

It was a nice story, seeing Jason Peters selected to the Pro Bowl. But while Jim McNally was comparing Peters with Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz on Wednesday, an obvious question popped into my mind: Now that he's the team's only Pro Bowler, how long will Peters (and his agent) be content as the third-highest paid member of the Bills' offensive line?

Lest we forget, Aaron Schobel had an existing contract when the Bills extended him last summer and gave him a new deal that averaged out to $7.1 million a year over seven years. The Bills did not want to go into the season with their Pro Bowl defensive end making less money than Chris Kelsay, who had been given a new contract by the Bills to keep him from escaping in free agency.

Peters signed a five-year extension last year for $15 million. At that price, he's well behind left guard Derrick Dockery (7 years, $49 million) and right tackle Langston Walker (5 years, $25 million). The Bills have money to spend under the cap, so it won't be a surprise if Peters gets a new deal. But a further investment in an already expensive O line will create even greater pressure next season for the offense to produce at a level commensurate with the money being paid for the line.

[patmoran2006]

Knew this was coming.

Pay him now. Great left tackles don't come around everyday, and this guy is a great left tackle. Lock him up THIS offseason.

I've taken a different stance with this team than years past; because I dont think they need that much in free agency. Usually I'm down to see us sign as many new guys as possible, but I really like the "core" of this team right now a lot, thanks to Lynch, Poz and of course Edwards.

Lock up Peters. Sign Dallas Clark big-time. Find a decent LB and maybe a 1-gap NT in free agency, and draft a WR in round one and the best talent after that.

[BADTHINGSMAN]

I can see him getting close or more then Dockery, but I agree do something before he Holds Out!!

[ParanoidAndroid]

He IS locked up...for 5 years. That's the cool thing. They will likely offer him a better contract to keep him happy, but it's not as if he can hold out if he doesn't like it. That's an awfully long time to hold out. The Bills front office made a nice move extending him before others realized how good he is. They have all the negotiating power.

[BADTHINGSMAN]

Wasnt saying hold out for 5 years, but he could untill given a better contract.. He seems like a team player though so cant see it happening..

[ParanoidAndroid]

He seems like a team player though so cant see it happening..

Exactly. :up:

[realdealryan]

Knew this was coming.

Pay him now. Great left tackles don't come around everyday, and this guy is a great left tackle. Lock him up THIS offseason.

I've taken a different stance with this team than years past; because I dont think they need that much in free agency. Usually I'm down to see us sign as many new guys as possible, but I really like the "core" of this team right now a lot, thanks to Lynch, Poz and of course Edwards.

Lock up Peters. Sign Dallas Clark big-time. Find a decent LB and maybe a 1-gap NT in free agency, and draft a WR in round one and the best talent after that.


I agree, and the FO had to know this was coming as well. Jason Peters was being talked about a LOT even at the end of last year. When they inked that Dockery deal, they knew the same or better would be coming for Peters.

Also, how do the Colts possibly let Clark go? He is a TE that plays on the line, in the slot, and out wide. He also made huge catches during last year's Super Bowl run, among others. I just don't see them pulling an Edgerrin with him.

[SyraBillsLican]

this is ridiculous. when you have a player locked up for 5 years for little money, LET HIM F'IN PLAY UNDER HIS CONTRACT!

whats with all of you wanting the Bills to spend money they clearly dont have or are saving for players THEY DONT ALREADY HAVE UNDER CONTRACT FOR FIVE-5-FIVE!!!!!!!!!!!! YEARS!

i dont get you all.

you whine that we dont get FA's and then say that you want to pay more money to people we already own for 5 years.

yes, Peters is a great player. he will get his money at the end of this contact, hes still only in his 3rd year. how bout we pay him when we start getting some run blocking.

sheesh. some of these replies are just ridiculous

[THE END OF ALL DAYS]

SCREW HIM! He signed a contract! You know what would happen IF I went to my boss and tried to hold out for more scoots after signing a contract....

Oh, wait... I'm self employed.....

Never mind..

PAY THE MAN! KEEP HIM HAPPY!

[realdealryan]

this is ridiculous. when you have a player locked up for 5 years for little money, LET HIM F'IN PLAY UNDER HIS CONTRACT!

It's not 1965, and Marv isn't Tex Schram. Ignoring Peters' contract until it's up isn't realistic in today's NFL, whether we like it or not.

[yordad]

I have a confession to make...

http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/showthread.php?t=142319

[Ebenezer]

Peters has no leverage...I'm betting that is what got him in...the players vote knowing how cheap he is.

[njsue]

I agree, and the FO had to know this was coming as well. Jason Peters was being talked about a LOT even at the end of last year. When they inked that Dockery deal, they knew the same or better would be coming for Peters.

Also, how do the Colts possibly let Clark go? He is a TE that plays on the line, in the slot, and out wide. He also made huge catches during last year's Super Bowl run, among others. I just don't see them pulling an Edgerrin with him.

Minimal cap money for Indy. Dallas Clark maybe heading east on I 90 in 2008.

[jamze132]

Although we don't "have" to do anything with Peter's contract, its the right thing to do. You award people for doing great things and making the Pro Bowl as a starting LT from the Buffalo Bills is quite an accomplishment. I say re-work his contract and get a him a couple mil more per season.

It also shows every other player on the roster and any potential FAs that Buffalo will pay you if you perform like Peter's did.

[theanswer74]

Peters has no leverage...I'm betting that is what got him in...the players vote knowing how cheap he is.

No leverage? Who in the world can take his spot? Peters has great leverage. The Bills can play hardball, but they may lose their QB in the process.

There QB and LT are the few positions you cant cover up if a player decides to holdout, unless you have a good player behind them .

[Stewie]

Didn't peters grow up as a bills fan? Had his choice of signing with any team but he came here and has performed. I can't imagine a better guy to reward.

[Bills Juggernaut]

Although we don't "have" to do anything with Peter's contract, its the right thing to do. You award people for doing great things and making the Pro Bowl as a starting LT from the Buffalo Bills is quite an accomplishment. I say re-work his contract and get a him a couple mil more per season.

It also shows every other player on the roster and any potential FAs that Buffalo will pay you if you perform like Peter's did.

I disagree. What's the point of having contracts? Every year we will be re-negotiating contracts with players that had a good year. The players will feel like "If Peters, who was under a five year contract and got more money, why shouldn't I?"<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
What happens if this team gets good? Then every player that's still under contract for 3+ years will want new contracts and before you know it, we will quickly hit the salary cap wall, not able to resign our best players when their contract is up, let alone try to bring in big money FA's.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Everybody says, "We are so far under the cap, why not reward Peters, he deserves it." You have to remember that while that may be true this year, right now our traditionally big money players on this team (QB, RB #1 WR) have very small contracts. What's going to happen when their contracts come up and they want to cash in? Our money will be tied up in players that we would have had already under contract anyways and now can't cut because of salary cap implications.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
I don't like redoing contracts for guys who have at least 2 years left on their deal. In this era of FA, you just can't keep doing that and not expect it to have serious repercussions down the line.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
By the way, how's Schobel's redoing working out? We already had him under contract for the next three years. So we redo his contract, throw tons of money at him, and he responds by giving us his worst year since his rookie season. And now we are stuck with his fat contract for the next five years. Great.<o:p></o:p>

[realdealryan]

Minimal cap money for Indy. Dallas Clark maybe heading east on I 90 in 2008.

I90 doesn't come through here.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Get him locked up IMMEDIATELY

[TacklingDummy]

If a player has a bad year will that player let the the owner renegotiate his contract and give him less money?

Peters signed a contract last year. Live with it.

[patmoran2006]

I agree, and the FO had to know this was coming as well. Jason Peters was being talked about a LOT even at the end of last year. When they inked that Dockery deal, they knew the same or better would be coming for Peters.

Also, how do the Colts possibly let Clark go? He is a TE that plays on the line, in the slot, and out wide. He also made huge catches during last year's Super Bowl run, among others. I just don't see them pulling an Edgerrin with him.
They are hurting with the cap some, and they're top priority has got to be to sign Bob Sanders, who will be a UFA.

Dont think they can sign both.

[patmoran2006]

this is ridiculous. when you have a player locked up for 5 years for little money, LET HIM F'IN PLAY UNDER HIS CONTRACT!

whats with all of you wanting the Bills to spend money they clearly dont have or are saving for players THEY DONT ALREADY HAVE UNDER CONTRACT FOR FIVE-5-FIVE!!!!!!!!!!!! YEARS!

i dont get you all.

you whine that we dont get FA's and then say that you want to pay more money to people we already own for 5 years.

yes, Peters is a great player. he will get his money at the end of this contact, hes still only in his 3rd year. how bout we pay him when we start getting some run blocking.

sheesh. some of these replies are just ridiculous
It's not the way it works in today's NFL, like it or not.

A pro bowl LT doesnt play for $3 million per year.... IF you're better at your job than your colleague, and he's making twice as much money as you, what are YOU going to do about it?

They have a lot of cap money, keep happy and lock up your core.

[realdealryan]

If a player has a bad year will that player let the the owner renegotiate his contract and give him less money?




lol is TacklingDummy from Mr. Deeds?

[njsue]

Didn't peters grow up as a bills fan? Had his choice of signing with any team but he came here and has performed. I can't imagine a better guy to reward.

:up:

[njsue]

They are hurting with the cap some, and they're top priority has got to be to sign Bob Sanders, who will be a UFA.

Dont think they can sign both.

Peyton has all the $$$$.

[Ed]

I don't think we need to extend Peters right now, but I would after next season for sure. You pay big money to the guys that deserve it and Peters is probably the best player on our team right now. Seeing the Bills reward their best players for their performance, is the best incentive for the rest of our team.

Being cheap and trying to save money at the expense of your best players won't go over well with anyone. I think you should always pay the people that bust their butt for you year round before shelling out big bucks to other free agents.

[raphael120]

OK so Peters should get big money...
What about Evans and Crowell?

Crowell should get decent money as he's our best LB and we shouldn't lose our mainstay there, and losing Evans would be detrimental to our bare WR corps as it is.

Funny how they had that story on BB.com about how Price wants to come back and play. If our FO keeps him around I'm going to be very dissapointed unless he signs for a minimal vet contract and plays 3rd or 4th string.

[Ed]

OK so Peters should get big money...
What about Evans and Crowell?

Crowell should get decent money as he's our best LB and we shouldn't lose our mainstay there, and losing Evans would be detrimental to our bare WR corps as it is.

Funny how they had that story on BB.com about how Price wants to come back and play. If our FO keeps him around I'm going to be very dissapointed unless he signs for a minimal vet contract and plays 3rd or 4th string.
Yeah, Evans and Crowell should both be re-signed also. I don't think anyone would disagree with that.

[HHURRICANE]

Wasnt saying hold out for 5 years, but he could untill given a better contract.. He seems like a team player though so cant see it happening..

Peters will take a fair deal beacuse of the Bills believing in him. I expect a new deal that will be fair to the Bills. I think Peters feels blessed and going from 15 million to 35-50 million is a pretty nice deal regardless.

It should be a win-win which is rare in this league. San fran is doing great with the best defensive player in the league.

[jamze132]

I disagree. What's the point of having contracts? Every year we will be re-negotiating contracts with players that had a good year. The players will feel like "If Peters, who was under a five year contract and got more money, why shouldn't I?"<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
What happens if this team gets good? Then every player that's still under contract for 3+ years will want new contracts and before you know it, we will quickly hit the salary cap wall, not able to resign our best players when their contract is up, let alone try to bring in big money FA's.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Everybody says, "We are so far under the cap, why not reward Peters, he deserves it." You have to remember that while that may be true this year, right now our traditionally big money players on this team (QB, RB #1 WR) have very small contracts. What's going to happen when their contracts come up and they want to cash in? Our money will be tied up in players that we would have had already under contract anyways and now can't cut because of salary cap implications.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
I don't like redoing contracts for guys who have at least 2 years left on their deal. In this era of FA, you just can't keep doing that and not expect it to have serious repercussions down the line.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
By the way, how's Schobel's redoing working out? We already had him under contract for the next three years. So we redo his contract, throw tons of money at him, and he responds by giving us his worst year since his rookie season. And now we are stuck with his fat contract for the next five years. Great.<o:p></o:p>
All of your points are valid and I can't really dispute them. But my post is more about the reality of the current NFL.

[clumping platelets]

I'm not against giving him an adjustment as long as the numbers are made public so I can update the cap page :type:

[Turbo.GUN.Hawk!]

Oh come on! If we increase salaries every year any certain player has a good season then this franchise is going to get screwed.
If that is the case then the FO should also be able to offer less money for a player that didn't play as expected and we all know that is not going to happen.

If Peters is an honest and classy guy as many people say then he will understand it was his decision to sign the contract for that much money and that much time.

Wasting cap is not the way NFL works today by the way. And yes, this move will be a total waste considering we have Peters locked up for the next five years for less money.

[Turbo.GUN.Hawk!]

All of your points are valid and I can't really dispute them. But my post is more about the reality of the current NFL.I don't understand what you are talking and I'm not trying to be rude. I would really appreciate if you can explain to me why this is the reality of the league.

[NorthCarBills]

I agree that they should look at redoing the contract, although it's easy to argue why using the dollars in other ways is more beneficial. A tough call for certain, but when you have arguably the best young LT in the league -- you make him happy as early as possible.

For now, I'm still thrilled that we got our franchise LT as an undrafted rookie, which almost nullifies a wasted top 5 pick in Mike Williams!!

[jamze132]

I don't understand what you are talking and I'm not trying to be rude. I would really appreciate if you can explain to me why this is the reality of the league.
The way Free Agnecy has evolved in the NFL, guys are out to make as much money as possible without much regard for winning a title. Not every player is like that but there are a LOT that are. If we reward our guys that play extraordinary, it sends a message to the rest of the team and the other free agents that Buffalo is a great place to play. We might be able to get free agents that can make a difference on the field if they believe that the Buffalo Bills organization is classy and willing to reward great play.