Bills plan to meet with Byrd at the Combine?

[X-Era]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/source-bills-plan-meet-byrd-004947456--nfl.html;_ylt=AsdZDba.XrOwA12wuOhO5OZDubYF;_ylu=X3oDMTRtZ3BrajVoBG1pdANMSVNUUyBNaXhlZCBsaXN0IE5GTCBoZWFkbGluZXMEcGtnA2ViMTcxMjIxLTlkYzUtMzNiOC05ZjFjLTY0MDg0MDViNThiZQRwb3MDMwRzZWMDTWVkaWFCTGlzdE1peGVkTFBDQVRlbXAEdmVyAzhkMzYyMTUwLTdhMzAtMTFlMi1hZjdmLTllYjc3ZWU4NDhiYQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTFoZHY1MWJpBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANuZmwEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3

According to this...

[Scumbag College]

If the Bills can find a way to keep Byrd and Levitre around I'd be happy with them not doing much more in the FA market. Byrd, though, needs to be the top priority out of the two.

[TigerJ]

Byrd will be the cheaper of the two and the harder to replace, even if they have to franchise his butt.

[The Jokeman]

Byrd will be the cheaper of the two and the harder to replace, even if they have to franchise his butt.

The franchise tag for a safety is relatively low at under $7m and if the Bills are in fact $30m under the cap franchising Byrd won't cripple this team one iota. I don't see there's anyway he's not back in Buffalo for 2013 but hopefully can do what he did with Stevie last year and get him signed before free agency starts and not have to worry about getting him back. Levirte's worth bringing back too but it could be tough unless we can get him signed before free agency starts. I know he's close to Erik Wood so maybe he'll stick around but tough call as this could be his year to rake in his career contract.

[better days]

This is great news. If the Bills can get Byrd signed, they can transition tag Levitre & match any offer he gets.

[X-Era]

This is great news. If the Bills can get Byrd signed, they can transition tag Levitre & match any offer he gets.
The transition tag is an option.

"Since the Steve Hutchinson (http://www.nfl.com/player/stevehutchinson/2504715/profile) poison-pill deal in 2006, which sent the All-Pro guard from Seattle to Minnesota, just one player has been slapped with the transition designation -- Pittsburgh's Max Starks (http://www.nfl.com/player/maxstarks/2505980/profile) in 2008 -- and that's largely because the Hutchinson situation made it obsolete. Though the poison pill has been eliminated in the new CBA, don't expect transition tags to make a comeback.
Without any compensation going back to a player's original team, there's no cost for signing teams outside of the contract, and clubs can still structure deals that can make them very difficult for another club to match. Additionally, as part of this CBA, a team can franchise or transition a player, but can't do both, meaning the idea of using the transition tag as a fallback after a more desirable player is franchised doesn't exist."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d8272422b/article/new-wrinkles-to-franchise-tag-salary-cap-happened-for-reason

I'm not sure if it will deter a team from still landing Levitre.

I want him back but I think getting another G may be easier than trying to fill some of our other holes if we spend a ton on him.

[better days]

The transition tag is an option.

"Since the Steve Hutchinson (http://www.nfl.com/player/stevehutchinson/2504715/profile) poison-pill deal in 2006, which sent the All-Pro guard from Seattle to Minnesota, just one player has been slapped with the transition designation -- Pittsburgh's Max Starks (http://www.nfl.com/player/maxstarks/2505980/profile) in 2008 -- and that's largely because the Hutchinson situation made it obsolete. Though the poison pill has been eliminated in the new CBA, don't expect transition tags to make a comeback.
Without any compensation going back to a player's original team, there's no cost for signing teams outside of the contract, and clubs can still structure deals that can make them very difficult for another club to match. Additionally, as part of this CBA, a team can franchise or transition a player, but can't do both, meaning the idea of using the transition tag as a fallback after a more desirable player is franchised doesn't exist."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d8272422b/article/new-wrinkles-to-franchise-tag-salary-cap-happened-for-reason

I'm not sure if it will deter a team from still landing Levitre.

I want him back but I think getting another G may be easier than trying to fill some of our other holes if we spend a ton on him.

It would be easy to sign Levitre from the transition tag. You just match what the other team offered, the other team does all the work. Whatever Levitre is worth to another team, he should be worth at least that much to the Bills.

[lmcshadow]

Go and shave that Byrd with this tag..its going to happen