LifetimeBillsFan
03-07-2008, 02:43 AM
Here's the unedited version of the latest article that I have submitted for the BZ front page.
I don't know how good it is as an article, but I'd really appreciate any comments that anyone might have about the idea that negotiating a contract extension with Evans is now the Bills top priority, that it may not be that easy to do, and that it is the key to what the Bills will do from here in free agency because it will determine what they need to do and how much money they will have available either way.
So, please feel free to "fire away"!
As I See It: Evans And Losman Key To Further Moves By The Bills In Free Agency
By Neil Masters
After making three big moves to bolster their defense during the first two days of the free agent signing period, the Buffalo Bills left many of their fans wondering why they did not sign any of the five free agents from other teams who visited One Bills Drive during the rest of the first week of free agency.
With the Bills needing to address their need for a big wide receiver to pair with Lee Evans and a lack of quality, experience and depth behind starter Robert Royal at tight end, their fans could not help questioning why the Bills did not also act quickly to sign free agent WR Bryant Johnson and TE Ben Troupe who both expressed considerable interest in playing for the Bills when they met with the local media while visiting with the team. With safety Marlon McCree, fullback Corey McIntyre and tight end Courtney Anderson also leaving town apparently without being signed by the Bills, the re-signing of offensive tackle Matt Murphy did little to assuage Bills fans' concerns, especially after it was announced that Troupe had signed with Tampa Bay on Thursday.
It is very likely that one reason that the Bills have not acted as aggressively as their fans might have wished to address their obvious needs at wide receiver and the tight end position is that they have placed a much higher priority on dealing with trying to extend Lee Evans' contract and attempting to trade quarterback JP Losman. Resolving Evans' contract situation, one way or the other, in particular, is critical to what the Bills may decide to do at the wide receiver position and may impact whether the Bills choose to trade Losman or keep him.
The Bills have made no secret of their desire to keep Evans and there are reports that they have been trying to work out a contract extension with him and his agent. This, however, may be easier to say than to do.
There is some evidence, as cited in a previous article, that Evans may not be entirely happy with the Bills. Certainly his production has suffered from the Bills unsettled quarterback situation and overly conservative play-calling the last three years. And, it would only be natural for him to be concerned about the direction that the Bills intend to go at the QB position, what their offensive philosophy will be and how he will fit in that offense going forward.
Even if Evans is satisfied that the Bills are going in the right direction on offense and that they will finally be able to become the kind of consistently productive offense that will allow him to maximize his abilities, there is also the question of whether the Bills can afford and will be willing to pay him the kind of money that he will want from them to sign a contract extension.
Given the kind of money that Javon Walker got from the Oakland Raiders, it is likely to cost a lot for the Bills to keep Evans. It is quite probable that he and his agent will want something close to what the Raiders gave Walker, if not more. Despite the fact that Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald and Detroit's Roy Williams may be traded if they do not renegotiate their contracts because their teams cannot afford their salaries this season, Evans and his agent undoubtedly know that there will be teams willing to give him a large contract should he hit the free agent market.
The question is whether, after signing Kawika Mitchell and Spencer Johnson and restructuring Marcus Stroud's contract to give him more money up-front, the Bills can afford to give Lee Evans the kind of up-front bonus money that he will want to sign a contract extension and still have enough money available to be able to sign a free agent like Bryant Johnson and the lower-tier free agents that they may need for depth at other positions.
If the Bills can sign Evans to a contract extension, they may not want to invest a lot of money in a free agent WR like Bryant Johnson or DJ Hackett. With the exception of Randy Moss, who everyone figured would re-sign with New England, none of the bigger WRs to hit the free agent market this year could be considered a "sure-thing", including Walker. They all had some short-comings: despite being a 1st Round draft pick, Johnson never has been able to shine as a # 2 WR; Hackett has been injury prone; etc.
Still, given the kind of contracts that Earnest Wilford and Walker were able to get as free agents, it is likely that Johnson and Hackett will want a similar commitment--in terms of not only money, but years as well--to sign with the Bills. With this year's draft class being deep at wide receiver and featuring a number of quality bigger WR prospects, if the Bills sign Lee Evans to a big-money contract extension, they may not want to commit that much money or, more importantly, that many years to a veteran who may not be that good a # 2 WR when they can draft a talented prospect with the potential to be a star in a year or two at a similar or even lesser price.
On the other hand, if the Bills cannot sign Lee Evans to a contract extension and must face the prospect of losing him as a free agent after this season, they may be more than amenable to signing a free agent like Johnson or Hackett to a longer-term contract, even at a higher price than they would otherwise. With a big # 2 WR wrapped up for the next 3-4 years, the Bills could then draft the best available WR, regardless of size, to groom as a replacement for Evans as their # 1 WR once he leaves for free agency.
If the Bills are unable to come to an agreement with Evans on a contract extension, they will have more cash available--the money that they would have given to Evans as a signing bonus--to spend on other free agents. And, that could directly impact what they do with JP Losman.
As it stands, Losman is a relatively cheap back-up QB who has the advantage of knowing the team and its offensive system. While his agent has made it clear that Losman wants to be traded and it is possible that he could be a problem in the lockerroom this season if the Bills don't accommodate his trade request, Losman does have the ability to push Trent Edwards for the starting QB position, which can only help Edwards to improve, and has shown that he can step in and lead the Bills' offense if Edwards is hurt or takes a step backwards in his second pro season.
While there still are quarterbacks available who can play as well or even better than Losman, it would cost the Bills considerably more to sign one of them than it would cost to keep Losman. If the Bills have to give Lee Evans a hefty bonus in order to sign him to a contract extension, they may not have enough cash available to sign a quality back-up QB and address the other needs that they want to address in free agency. In that case, it may be necessary for the Bills to keep Losman, even though he would probably be unhappy and the team would get nothing in return for him when he leaves as a free agent after this season.
On the other hand, if the Bills are unable to reach an agreement with Evans on a contract extension or if Evans gives them a "hometown discount" in extending his contract with the team, the Bills would have more cash available to them. If they could trade Losman for a third or fourth round draft pick that they could use to shore up one of their weaker positions and have enough money to be able to sign one of the better QBs still on the market to back-up and tutor Trent Edwards.
Because what happens with Lee Evans--and, to a lesser extent, JP Losman--will pretty much dictate what the Bills will have to do and will be able to do in the draft and free agency, it would only make sense for the Bills front office to place a greater priority on resolving Evans' contract situation, one way or the other, before they proceed much further in signing free agents.
Once the Bills know whether they are going to be able to come to an agreement with Evans or not and how much it will cost them if they do, they will have a much better idea of what they must do and what they can do in free agency and the up-coming draft. While they don't necessarily have to wait until they know what is going to happen with Evans to resolve the Losman situation, if they do trade Losman, it will have an impact on what they do in free agency and influence what positions they choose to address through free agency and which they try to fill in the draft.
It is fair to assume that the agent for Bryant Johnson and Ben Troupe came to Buffalo looking for the best deal possible for his clients. In addition to an opportunity to start, Johnson, Troupe and their agent undoubtedly had their sights set on the biggest bonus, the most dollars and the most years that they could get from the Bills. But, without knowing what the resolution of Evans' contract situation would be, in all likelihood, the Bills were not in a position to make a definitive offer to them. Or, to McIntyre and Anderson. (McCree may be a different case entirely, although, if he does sign with the Bills, that, too, may influence what kind of offers the Bills are willing to make as well.)
Because the Bills have a history of being very discreet about contract negotiations with their players, it is very unlikely that there will be much information forth-coming about the progress of their contract talks with Lee Evans and his agent. That being the case, it would be fair for Bills fans to expect that the Bills won't be doing very much in the free agent market--maybe one or two lower case signings--until the Evans contract extension and Losman's situation are resolved.
In the meantime the Bills may continue to entertain some free agents to gauge their interest in joining the team. But, those are likely to be lesser-known players. And, probably most, if not all of them, will leave without being offered a contract by the Bills.
Given the amount of money, especially bonus money, that Lee Evans is in a position to command if he signs a contract extension with the Bills and the fact that the biggest problem small-market teams, like the Bills, have in signing players is that it is harder for them to afford the "up-front" bonus money that is so important to players and their agents, resolving the issue of Evans' contract extension is the key to determining what the Bills can and must do in free agency and in the draft. That being the case, it would only be reasonable for the Bills to give this first priority at this point in time.
While this may be frustrating for Bills fans anxious to see the team actively pursuing free agents who may be able to strengthen some of the team's weaker positions, particularly WR and TE, patience may be required until Evans' contract situation is resolved, one way or the other, and the team is in a better position to know what it must do and how it is going to be able to proceed in the free agent market and the draft.
P.S.: Kudos to Bills management and thanks and credit to Chris Brown, in particular, for making sure to let fans who visited the Bills official website this week know when there would be no further information forth-coming.
It was really nice to see Brown showing such courtesy to the fans by simply adding a little message to his blog each day this week to let fans know that he was "signing off". However difficult it may have been for him to come up with something a little different each day, it was greatly appreciated, particularly by those fans that were anxious to hear any word from OBD on the days that Johnson, Troupe, McIntyre, McCree and Anderson were visiting the team.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
I don't know how good it is as an article, but I'd really appreciate any comments that anyone might have about the idea that negotiating a contract extension with Evans is now the Bills top priority, that it may not be that easy to do, and that it is the key to what the Bills will do from here in free agency because it will determine what they need to do and how much money they will have available either way.
So, please feel free to "fire away"!
As I See It: Evans And Losman Key To Further Moves By The Bills In Free Agency
By Neil Masters
After making three big moves to bolster their defense during the first two days of the free agent signing period, the Buffalo Bills left many of their fans wondering why they did not sign any of the five free agents from other teams who visited One Bills Drive during the rest of the first week of free agency.
With the Bills needing to address their need for a big wide receiver to pair with Lee Evans and a lack of quality, experience and depth behind starter Robert Royal at tight end, their fans could not help questioning why the Bills did not also act quickly to sign free agent WR Bryant Johnson and TE Ben Troupe who both expressed considerable interest in playing for the Bills when they met with the local media while visiting with the team. With safety Marlon McCree, fullback Corey McIntyre and tight end Courtney Anderson also leaving town apparently without being signed by the Bills, the re-signing of offensive tackle Matt Murphy did little to assuage Bills fans' concerns, especially after it was announced that Troupe had signed with Tampa Bay on Thursday.
It is very likely that one reason that the Bills have not acted as aggressively as their fans might have wished to address their obvious needs at wide receiver and the tight end position is that they have placed a much higher priority on dealing with trying to extend Lee Evans' contract and attempting to trade quarterback JP Losman. Resolving Evans' contract situation, one way or the other, in particular, is critical to what the Bills may decide to do at the wide receiver position and may impact whether the Bills choose to trade Losman or keep him.
The Bills have made no secret of their desire to keep Evans and there are reports that they have been trying to work out a contract extension with him and his agent. This, however, may be easier to say than to do.
There is some evidence, as cited in a previous article, that Evans may not be entirely happy with the Bills. Certainly his production has suffered from the Bills unsettled quarterback situation and overly conservative play-calling the last three years. And, it would only be natural for him to be concerned about the direction that the Bills intend to go at the QB position, what their offensive philosophy will be and how he will fit in that offense going forward.
Even if Evans is satisfied that the Bills are going in the right direction on offense and that they will finally be able to become the kind of consistently productive offense that will allow him to maximize his abilities, there is also the question of whether the Bills can afford and will be willing to pay him the kind of money that he will want from them to sign a contract extension.
Given the kind of money that Javon Walker got from the Oakland Raiders, it is likely to cost a lot for the Bills to keep Evans. It is quite probable that he and his agent will want something close to what the Raiders gave Walker, if not more. Despite the fact that Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald and Detroit's Roy Williams may be traded if they do not renegotiate their contracts because their teams cannot afford their salaries this season, Evans and his agent undoubtedly know that there will be teams willing to give him a large contract should he hit the free agent market.
The question is whether, after signing Kawika Mitchell and Spencer Johnson and restructuring Marcus Stroud's contract to give him more money up-front, the Bills can afford to give Lee Evans the kind of up-front bonus money that he will want to sign a contract extension and still have enough money available to be able to sign a free agent like Bryant Johnson and the lower-tier free agents that they may need for depth at other positions.
If the Bills can sign Evans to a contract extension, they may not want to invest a lot of money in a free agent WR like Bryant Johnson or DJ Hackett. With the exception of Randy Moss, who everyone figured would re-sign with New England, none of the bigger WRs to hit the free agent market this year could be considered a "sure-thing", including Walker. They all had some short-comings: despite being a 1st Round draft pick, Johnson never has been able to shine as a # 2 WR; Hackett has been injury prone; etc.
Still, given the kind of contracts that Earnest Wilford and Walker were able to get as free agents, it is likely that Johnson and Hackett will want a similar commitment--in terms of not only money, but years as well--to sign with the Bills. With this year's draft class being deep at wide receiver and featuring a number of quality bigger WR prospects, if the Bills sign Lee Evans to a big-money contract extension, they may not want to commit that much money or, more importantly, that many years to a veteran who may not be that good a # 2 WR when they can draft a talented prospect with the potential to be a star in a year or two at a similar or even lesser price.
On the other hand, if the Bills cannot sign Lee Evans to a contract extension and must face the prospect of losing him as a free agent after this season, they may be more than amenable to signing a free agent like Johnson or Hackett to a longer-term contract, even at a higher price than they would otherwise. With a big # 2 WR wrapped up for the next 3-4 years, the Bills could then draft the best available WR, regardless of size, to groom as a replacement for Evans as their # 1 WR once he leaves for free agency.
If the Bills are unable to come to an agreement with Evans on a contract extension, they will have more cash available--the money that they would have given to Evans as a signing bonus--to spend on other free agents. And, that could directly impact what they do with JP Losman.
As it stands, Losman is a relatively cheap back-up QB who has the advantage of knowing the team and its offensive system. While his agent has made it clear that Losman wants to be traded and it is possible that he could be a problem in the lockerroom this season if the Bills don't accommodate his trade request, Losman does have the ability to push Trent Edwards for the starting QB position, which can only help Edwards to improve, and has shown that he can step in and lead the Bills' offense if Edwards is hurt or takes a step backwards in his second pro season.
While there still are quarterbacks available who can play as well or even better than Losman, it would cost the Bills considerably more to sign one of them than it would cost to keep Losman. If the Bills have to give Lee Evans a hefty bonus in order to sign him to a contract extension, they may not have enough cash available to sign a quality back-up QB and address the other needs that they want to address in free agency. In that case, it may be necessary for the Bills to keep Losman, even though he would probably be unhappy and the team would get nothing in return for him when he leaves as a free agent after this season.
On the other hand, if the Bills are unable to reach an agreement with Evans on a contract extension or if Evans gives them a "hometown discount" in extending his contract with the team, the Bills would have more cash available to them. If they could trade Losman for a third or fourth round draft pick that they could use to shore up one of their weaker positions and have enough money to be able to sign one of the better QBs still on the market to back-up and tutor Trent Edwards.
Because what happens with Lee Evans--and, to a lesser extent, JP Losman--will pretty much dictate what the Bills will have to do and will be able to do in the draft and free agency, it would only make sense for the Bills front office to place a greater priority on resolving Evans' contract situation, one way or the other, before they proceed much further in signing free agents.
Once the Bills know whether they are going to be able to come to an agreement with Evans or not and how much it will cost them if they do, they will have a much better idea of what they must do and what they can do in free agency and the up-coming draft. While they don't necessarily have to wait until they know what is going to happen with Evans to resolve the Losman situation, if they do trade Losman, it will have an impact on what they do in free agency and influence what positions they choose to address through free agency and which they try to fill in the draft.
It is fair to assume that the agent for Bryant Johnson and Ben Troupe came to Buffalo looking for the best deal possible for his clients. In addition to an opportunity to start, Johnson, Troupe and their agent undoubtedly had their sights set on the biggest bonus, the most dollars and the most years that they could get from the Bills. But, without knowing what the resolution of Evans' contract situation would be, in all likelihood, the Bills were not in a position to make a definitive offer to them. Or, to McIntyre and Anderson. (McCree may be a different case entirely, although, if he does sign with the Bills, that, too, may influence what kind of offers the Bills are willing to make as well.)
Because the Bills have a history of being very discreet about contract negotiations with their players, it is very unlikely that there will be much information forth-coming about the progress of their contract talks with Lee Evans and his agent. That being the case, it would be fair for Bills fans to expect that the Bills won't be doing very much in the free agent market--maybe one or two lower case signings--until the Evans contract extension and Losman's situation are resolved.
In the meantime the Bills may continue to entertain some free agents to gauge their interest in joining the team. But, those are likely to be lesser-known players. And, probably most, if not all of them, will leave without being offered a contract by the Bills.
Given the amount of money, especially bonus money, that Lee Evans is in a position to command if he signs a contract extension with the Bills and the fact that the biggest problem small-market teams, like the Bills, have in signing players is that it is harder for them to afford the "up-front" bonus money that is so important to players and their agents, resolving the issue of Evans' contract extension is the key to determining what the Bills can and must do in free agency and in the draft. That being the case, it would only be reasonable for the Bills to give this first priority at this point in time.
While this may be frustrating for Bills fans anxious to see the team actively pursuing free agents who may be able to strengthen some of the team's weaker positions, particularly WR and TE, patience may be required until Evans' contract situation is resolved, one way or the other, and the team is in a better position to know what it must do and how it is going to be able to proceed in the free agent market and the draft.
P.S.: Kudos to Bills management and thanks and credit to Chris Brown, in particular, for making sure to let fans who visited the Bills official website this week know when there would be no further information forth-coming.
It was really nice to see Brown showing such courtesy to the fans by simply adding a little message to his blog each day this week to let fans know that he was "signing off". However difficult it may have been for him to come up with something a little different each day, it was greatly appreciated, particularly by those fans that were anxious to hear any word from OBD on the days that Johnson, Troupe, McIntyre, McCree and Anderson were visiting the team.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->