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Sep. 5, 2008
By Clark Judge
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
Score one for the Buffalo Bills.
Jason Peters' decision to end a summer-long holdout was a victory for the Bills, not just because the club needs the Pro Bowl left tackle but because it didn't have to sacrifice anything -- money, principles, promises, anything -- to convince him to return.
Jason Peters is still looking for a new deal. Instead, the Bills did what they've been doing all along, which was nothing, and bully for them.
Not only didn't they give in to Peters' demands for a new contract; they didn't hold out the promise of an extension once he reappears. Instead, they simply told him to report and then maybe ... maybe ... the two would talk.
That has been the message all along, and all along there hasn't been a Jason Peters sighting and barely any communication with the guy.
Maybe he thought they were bluffing, I don't know. What I do know is that he didn't budge until he notified the league that he planned to report Saturday and told a team assistant he would be there in the morning for a physical.
One of the first questions that comes to mind is this: With Buffalo winning the war, does it concede the battle over fines? I mean, he's on the hook for a ton of fine money assessed for missed time, and the Bills could subtract it all from his salary.
My guess is that it doesn't, reaching a compromise instead with a valued player. Remember, Peters returns voluntarily, so there's no need to make him miserable. Nevertheless, he also voluntarily took a gamble here -- running up substantial fines in the belief that, in the end, the Bills would cave in and award him a new contract.
They did not. In fact, all they did do was put him on notice they might be willing to talk about an extension as the season progresses -- but only after he returned.
So what was the breakthrough? I have no idea, and I'm not sure anyone with the Bills does, either. Published reports indicated there was a thaw this week in talks between the club and agent Eugene Parker, but it's unclear what convinced Parker to persuade his client to return.
What is clear is that nothing was promised or paid to Peters. The Bills refused to blink, and for that they should be congratulated.
Peters will not play in Sunday's season opener with Seattle and might not play next weekend against Jacksonville. The Bills have a two-week roster exemption, which means they have two weeks to prepare him to play.
But whom are we kidding? There's almost no way he doesn't play against the Jags, with Buffalo eager to protect quarterback Trent Edwards from a relentless and physical defense.
Jason Peters is a unique talent and the top member of Buffalo's offensive line. That's not exactly news. But he made the mistake of overestimating his worth to the club, believing that because he outplayed his contract a year ago he deserved to have the last three years of it torn up.
Maybe that happens elsewhere. It doesn't happen in Buffalo. Now Jason Peters knows.
By Clark Judge
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
Score one for the Buffalo Bills.
Jason Peters' decision to end a summer-long holdout was a victory for the Bills, not just because the club needs the Pro Bowl left tackle but because it didn't have to sacrifice anything -- money, principles, promises, anything -- to convince him to return.
Jason Peters is still looking for a new deal. Instead, the Bills did what they've been doing all along, which was nothing, and bully for them.
Not only didn't they give in to Peters' demands for a new contract; they didn't hold out the promise of an extension once he reappears. Instead, they simply told him to report and then maybe ... maybe ... the two would talk.
That has been the message all along, and all along there hasn't been a Jason Peters sighting and barely any communication with the guy.
Maybe he thought they were bluffing, I don't know. What I do know is that he didn't budge until he notified the league that he planned to report Saturday and told a team assistant he would be there in the morning for a physical.
One of the first questions that comes to mind is this: With Buffalo winning the war, does it concede the battle over fines? I mean, he's on the hook for a ton of fine money assessed for missed time, and the Bills could subtract it all from his salary.
My guess is that it doesn't, reaching a compromise instead with a valued player. Remember, Peters returns voluntarily, so there's no need to make him miserable. Nevertheless, he also voluntarily took a gamble here -- running up substantial fines in the belief that, in the end, the Bills would cave in and award him a new contract.
They did not. In fact, all they did do was put him on notice they might be willing to talk about an extension as the season progresses -- but only after he returned.
So what was the breakthrough? I have no idea, and I'm not sure anyone with the Bills does, either. Published reports indicated there was a thaw this week in talks between the club and agent Eugene Parker, but it's unclear what convinced Parker to persuade his client to return.
What is clear is that nothing was promised or paid to Peters. The Bills refused to blink, and for that they should be congratulated.
Peters will not play in Sunday's season opener with Seattle and might not play next weekend against Jacksonville. The Bills have a two-week roster exemption, which means they have two weeks to prepare him to play.
But whom are we kidding? There's almost no way he doesn't play against the Jags, with Buffalo eager to protect quarterback Trent Edwards from a relentless and physical defense.
Jason Peters is a unique talent and the top member of Buffalo's offensive line. That's not exactly news. But he made the mistake of overestimating his worth to the club, believing that because he outplayed his contract a year ago he deserved to have the last three years of it torn up.
Maybe that happens elsewhere. It doesn't happen in Buffalo. Now Jason Peters knows.
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