Bills talking to Fitz about a contract? Johnson to get Franchised?

[Dr. Lecter]

According to Jeremy White's twitter both are under consideration

I hear #Bills are talking to Fitz about a contract...Also, consider this potential scenario "Stevie Johnson - Franchise tag". Worth it?

[Dujek]

Not sure Stevie Johnson is worth a franchise tag, though if the money is there and it's the only way to keep him until a deal gets done then I'd probably do it.

Pay Fitz now before he throws for 3,500 yards and 30TDs, like he would have done last year if he'd played 16 games...

[ddaryl]

I believe Johnson is a solid person and when his time does come do the Bills will give him a sweet deal, and Johnson will give the Bills and Bills fans a home town discount... In other words Steve gets a sweet raise but doesn't break the bank and force the Bills to have to make big decisions on key core players in the near future to offset a huge contract..

but if the contract negotiations don't go wrap up in the short term, they will use the franchise tag to ensure they don't let the asset walk away.

I imagine the Bills are going to offer extensions to a few players and try to get favorable deals early before the asking price escalates. Steve Johnson is rolling a huge dice IMO, if he does get injured he will lose money, If he has a down season he'll lose money.. If he stays healthy and produces he'll make bigger coin, but the question every player has to ask themselves is a bird in the hand better then 2 in the bush ???

[mikemac2001]

Fitz wants to be QB for the bills and chan

i am not worried about him switching teams for money it doesn't feel like his style

[Mahdi]

I believe Johnson is a solid person and when his time does come do the Bills will give him a sweet deal, and Johnson will give the Bills and Bills fans a home town discount... In other words Steve gets a sweet raise but doesn't break the bank and force the Bills to have to make big decisions on key core players in the near future to offset a huge contract..

but if the contract negotiations don't go wrap up in the short term, they will use the franchise tag to ensure they don't let the asset walk away.

I imagine the Bills are going to offer extensions to a few players and try to get favorable deals early before the asking price escalates. Steve Johnson is rolling a huge dice IMO, if he does get injured he will lose money, If he has a down season he'll lose money.. If he stays healthy and produces he'll make bigger coin, but the question every player has to ask themselves is a bird in the hand better then 2 in the bush ???
Why should he give the Bills a discount? Did Larry Fitz do that? Will Calvin do that?

Stevie should ask for every penny he can get, and the Bills should give it to him.

[Night Train]

No knee jerk reaction to talks with various players (Fitz,S.Johnson,Fred Jackson) either way.

Just get these guys extended and treat them with respect during the process. They are obviously core guys.

[trapezeus]

one week all. do we not remember the jauron extension? and like i said in another post, even if they come to an agreement and either of those guys drastically outperform what they are given, they'll ask to be pushed up to market. Thats the world of unguaranteed contracts.

So there is litereally no risk to the bills to do nothing but chat at this point. if they break out they'll pay the price. if they don't, they offer less at the end of the year. it's just worth telling players that they want to get a contract.

[mikemac2001]

i hope freddie does get a pay increase....dude battles hard i wouldn't give him the house but a nice 3 yr deal will keep the RB situation solid for a few years

fitz will resign

and stevie will want to be paid this is the only one that worries me

[wmoz11]

Remember that franchising a player doesn't necessarily mean that we have to pay that number. It buys us more time to negotiate with the player on a long-term deal. Worse comes to worse, he's still a member of the team at that high salary.

[Night Train]

one week all. do we not remember the jauron extension?
That was after 6 weeks, with the Bills sitting at 5-1.

Then the Titantic pulled away from the dock .

[Beebe's Kid]

The idea that players are going to come up to free agency, and give the Bills the hometown discount is absurd. They may be good guys, but this is how they earn their living.

If you cold get hurt tomorrow at your job, and your career ended...which means you wouldn't be able to earn any more money, would you take the better deal for you and your family, or would you give a discount to the people that exposed you to great amounts of risk, at an extremely discounted rate?

Players give hometown discounts when they are signed early, because they get the security of some guaranteed money, and it is showing of commitment from the team, which is reciprocated.

That usually doesn't happen when you wait it out until right before free agency. I like these guys too, and if Buddy and Chan like them, it is time to write some checks.

Franchising Johnson is nuts, for what it's worth. Applying the franchise tag to anybody is ****ing crazy, and will take money from the team that they didn't need to spend.

If the club put a fair number, with some guaranteed money and some term behind it, Stevie would ink today. Same with Fitz, and same with Freddie.

I am going to go out on a limb and say that they are going to blow it with Freddie. They are going to be scared to invest in an older RB, especially w/ Spiller's cost. I think that will be a huge mistake, but I have an feeling that is the way that is going to play out.

[psubills62]

Pretty much what I've expected. As long as they sign Fitz and Bell to reasonable extensions - and no, I don't think they'll overpay either thanks to just one week - they can franchise Johnson. And not only will that give us until around June to sign Johnson to a new contract, but it will give us a whole extra year to sign him.

[Stewie]

The idea that players are going to come up to free agency, and give the Bills the hometown discount is absurd. They may be good guys, but this is how they earn their living.

If you cold get hurt tomorrow at your job, and your career ended...which means you wouldn't be able to earn any more money, would you take the better deal for you and your family, or would you give a discount to the people that exposed you to great amounts of risk, at an extremely discounted rate?

Players give hometown discounts when they are signed early, because they get the security of some guaranteed money, and it is showing of commitment from the team, which is reciprocated.

That usually doesn't happen when you wait it out until right before free agency. I like these guys too, and if Buddy and Chan like them, it is time to write some checks.

Franchising Johnson is nuts, for what it's worth. Applying the franchise tag to anybody is ****ing crazy, and will take money from the team that they didn't need to spend.

If the club put a fair number, with some guaranteed money and some term behind it, Stevie would ink today. Same with Fitz, and same with Freddie.

I am going to go out on a limb and say that they are going to blow it with Freddie. They are going to be scared to invest in an older RB, especially w/ Spiller's cost. I think that will be a huge mistake, but I have an feeling that is the way that is going to play out.

You're right if you're comparing a six figure contract to a low seven figure contract.. or even low seven figure for high seven figure.. but once you get to eight figure contacts, that goes out the window. They can take care of their families forever with that kind of money. And at that point, what's best for the family shifts to other questions, like where their families are, where their friends are, where the schools are.

[justasportsfan]

Why should he give the Bills a discount? Did Larry Fitz do that? Will Calvin do that?

Stevie should ask for every penny he can get, and the Bills should give it to him.


IMO, Kyle Williams gave the bills a discount compared to what he could have gotten elsewhere.

[BillsWin]

Just pay them. We aren't hurting for money and if we really are building for the future, you have to pay your own players. If you keep letting them go and then trying to find their replacements through the draft you will keep spinning in circles.

[THRILLHO]

Just pay them. We aren't hurting for money and if we really are building for the future, you have to pay your own players. If you keep letting them go and then trying to find their replacements through the draft you will keep spinning in circles.

Yep. People here complain that Ralph is too cheap (which he is) but then they complain that we over paid a player or two. Franchise Stevie. He may not be "worth" the tag price, but he's the best we have and its not like someone better is going to fall into our laps.

[Mike]

You're right if you're comparing a six figure contract to a low seven figure contract.. or even low seven figure for high seven figure.. but once you get to eight figure contacts, that goes out the window. They can take care of their families forever with that kind of money. And at that point, what's best for the family shifts to other questions, like where their families are, where their friends are, where the schools are.


I don't think you are thinking the full financial implications thoroughly. Remember that guys that make 8figures live like it & invest like it. Vick had a $100million dollar contract and had to file bankruptcy! Take that a step further, and you will see that MOST NFL (over 65%) players go broke after their NFL years (on average 3yrs). So two major issues here: 1. Many of these guys don't know how to handle money, 2. No matter how much you are making, if you get the rug pulled out underneath you and loose your income, you will still be in a situation where you have many liabilities and no cash flow. This is how a Donald Trump goes in Debt Billions of Dollars and has to file Bankruptcy, which he did!

[YardRat]

Fitz will probably be the next to sign.

Freddie shouldn't be far behind, but I have to admit I agree with Beebe...I could see the Bills blowing that considering his age and their man-love for Spiller. That would piss me off.

If any comments regarding Stevie being franchised have any truth to them, that would be a pretty clear indicator to me that any hold up in talks is coming from his and his agent's end and not the front office.

[BillsWin]

I would think the order goes Fitz-Fred-Stevie with Stevie demanding the most money. But that's just my uneducated guess.

[YardRat]

I would think the order goes Fitz-Fred-Stevie with Stevie demanding the most money. But that's just my uneducated guess.

Is your new avatar Lecter before he had eye surgery?

[BillsWin]

Is your new avatar Lecter before he had eye surgery?

Is it THAT obvious!? :popcorn:

[ddaryl]

Why should he give the Bills a discount? Did Larry Fitz do that? Will Calvin do that?

Stevie should ask for every penny he can get, and the Bills should give it to him.

Because he wants to win championships.. and screw that every penny BS... if that's the way YOU feel then fine... championship teams require a bit of shared sacrifice IMO... It comes down to whether Steve truly trusts Nix, Gailey and the Bills vision

if he takes $15 mil a season you are cutting 2-3 maybe even 4 guys and replacing them with cheaper options... and one of those guys is definitely going to be a player you are going to scream about when they let him go.

We have Fitz, Jackson, and a few more players that are also going to want some money too.

I also feel strongly that Johnson... like Kyle Williams will take a little bit less to stay here,. It will be a fair contracts that both sides can work with IMO... If 'm wrong well then I am and I form a slightly different opinion about S. Johnson.

[X-Era]

According to Jeremy White's twitter both are under consideration
On Fitz, he should show he's worth starting QB money before he get's paid. That said, if he ends up even top 10 - top 15 as a starting QB, he should be paid what he is worth... But we are talking about 10 mill per... Matt Cassel money is probably about right (6 years 63 mill). That is a lot of money for Fitz. He has to show he's the guy that will not keep us from the playoffs... that he can take us there, not keep us from it.

On Stevie, he only needs to show he hasn't digressed to earn a new contract. If we franchise him is the move we make to keep him I'd be glad that we did what it took to keep him but disappointed that we are paying 12 mill for the tag instead of 7 or 8 mill per in a new contract.

[Stewie]

I don't think you are thinking the full financial implications thoroughly. Remember that guys that make 8figures live like it & invest like it. Vick had a $100million dollar contract and had to file bankruptcy! Take that a step further, and you will see that MOST NFL (over 65%) players go broke after their NFL years (on average 3yrs). So two major issues here: 1. Many of these guys don't know how to handle money, 2. No matter how much you are making, if you get the rug pulled out underneath you and loose your income, you will still be in a situation where you have many liabilities and no cash flow. This is how a Donald Trump goes in Debt Billions of Dollars and has to file Bankruptcy, which he did!

If someone who gets an eight figure contract doesn't have enough money to support theirfamily, it's because they ****ed up. And, holding out for an extra two million isn't going to prevent that from happening, so I don't see the point.

[DraftBoy]

Screw hometown discounts, get every penny you can when you can. You only have a finite amount of time to earn that kind of money and one cut/hit/mistep and its all over.

[better days]

If someone who gets an eight figure contract doesn't have enough money to support theirfamily, it's because they ****ed up. And, holding out for an extra two million isn't going to prevent that from happening, so I don't see the point.

Well, there have been a number of players that thought they were taking care of business, but they trusted the wrong people & lost their money through bad investments or outright fraud.

I think Fitz is smart enough to handle his own affairs, Stevie not so much.

[madness]

Bills looking to extend Fitzpatrick
Paul Hamilton

<article> Orchard Park, NY (WGR 550) -- Sources have told WGR Sports Radio 550 that the Bills have begun negotiations to extend Ryan Fitzpatrick's contract. Nothing is going to be signed by the quarterback right away, but the two sides are talking.

We have also learned that the Bills have not spoken to Roscoe Parrish's agent about an extension and are not looking to at this time.

UPDATE:
Speaking with WGR's Joe Buscaglia on Thursday, Fitzpatrick commented on the matter:

"I'm focused on playing, that's all I can focus on right now. Whether it comes or not, that's for the team and my agent to deal with. For me, all my focus and efforts are going in to beating the Raiders."

http://wgr550.com/Bills-looking-to-extend-Fitzpatrick/10912035
</article>

[psubills62]

Paul Hamilton also says that the "talks continue" with Steve Johnson.

http://twitter.com/pham22758/status/114320391652126722