do you think we will end up trading byrd?

[NOT THE DUDE...]

will we end up trading him before or during camp? and if so, what type of compensation should we expect? drafting meeks seems like a key hint that they are unsure... I know its a 5th rd pick, but we still took a safety when we already had bodies there....

[NOT THE DUDE...]

I just don't think we are going to pay 9-10 mil per

[BADTHINGSMAN]

No, he will make 4.5 mil playing S and 4.5 mil being the number 1 WR.

[ublinkwescore]

we are going to re-sign him. they are working on it now. it will be done just before preseason gets here - like 2 weeks before preseason.

- - - Updated - - -

we are going to re-sign him. they are working on it now. it will be done just before preseason gets here - like 2 weeks before preseason.

[OpIv37]

We better trade him.

Don't get me wrong- I'd love to keep him, but there is no way this team will pay. Byrd walks after this season. We already lost Levitre for nothing. This season is a disaster waiting to happen, so I'd rather get some return for Byrd than keep him for a wasted season just to watch him leave with no compensation.

[Night Train]

If we sign him, we're wasting $$.

If we don't sign him, we fail to sign our best players and suck as an organization. Win/Win for the resident Zoloft Society members. This act is played.

He has the toughest agent in the biz, Eugene Parker, who wants his players paid and holds them out.

Let the process play out and we'll see what happens. Let's check back in 2-3 months...when it actually matters.

[trapezeus]

We better trade him.

Don't get me wrong- I'd love to keep him, but there is no way this team will pay. Byrd walks after this season. We already lost Levitre for nothing. This season is a disaster waiting to happen, so I'd rather get some return for Byrd than keep him for a wasted season just to watch him leave with no compensation.

but you argue that we have to keep our own. this is one that we need to keep. especially with the attacking defense they want to put into play. this could be the system to make byrd really good.

if they do trade him this season, they really are saying, "we don't care about 2013. we are just going to see what we have and see where we go. we want a total rebuild with only pieces we've collected." and i put that quote in as marrone saying it.

[Mr. Pink]

So the fact we drafted a guy in the 5th round means Byrd is gone?

What?

[OpIv37]

but you argue that we have to keep our own. this is one that we need to keep. especially with the attacking defense they want to put into play. this could be the system to make byrd really good.

if they do trade him this season, they really are saying, "we don't care about 2013. we are just going to see what we have and see where we go. we want a total rebuild with only pieces we've collected." and i put that quote in as marrone saying it.
Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear enough.

I would like to see the Bills keep him and lock him up long-term. I just don't believe they actually will. For whatever reason, this team doesn't want to play ball with him. Maybe it's the cap, maybe they don't think his play warrants the contract, maybe it's just Ralph being cheap again. I really don't know. I just know that, if this re a priority for the organization, it would be done already. They just don't seem to have the interest that they should.


So the next best thing is to trade him and get something for him. I really don't see any point for keeping him for 2013. If he does flourish in this D, it will only drive his price up and make it even less likely that we retain him after the season.

[trapezeus]

i just don't see it. this isn't the nhl. no one is sending us a player equal to byrd for byrd. so a low pick is barely anything worth getting excited about.

the negotiation is in byrd's favor now. but if the bills get to the start of the season, and he's not playing, the bills make him sit a year. that will hurt his longer term value.

i think there is time for it to work out. i would suspect this goes to hold out. and i suspect the bills wil get him to play at the franchise tag. You can't miss all of camp with new schemes and then expect to play great and/or even see the field. byrd is taking quite a bit of risk. in the long term because if the bills are offering a fair contract and he's haggling for pennies, the bills will screw him in the long run which may hurt his contract value in the longer term.

[Typ0]

How can he hold out if he's been tagged? The Bills put the tag on him to keep him and for some leverage. There is a lot of risk involved with his playing a season he would much rather be under a longer term contract with more guaranteed money than just playing this season under the tag and then playing the market. That doesn't mean he won't go the second route I'm just talking about closing the gap of risk reward between the two sides. Now, negotiating with the Bills just looks a lot more attractive to the other side. If Byrd plays under the tag and gets a big injury he stands to lose many millions of dollars ... that is a significant factor.

[mightysimi]

How can he hold out if he's been tagged? The Bills put the tag on him to keep him and for some leverage. There is a lot of risk involved with his playing a season he would much rather be under a longer term contract with more guaranteed money than just playing this season under the tag and then playing the market. That doesn't mean he won't go the second route I'm just talking about closing the gap of risk reward between the two sides. Now, negotiating with the Bills just looks a lot more attractive to the other side. If Byrd plays under the tag and gets a big injury he stands to lose many millions of dollars ... that is a significant factor.

He can hold out if he doesn't sign the franchise tender. He only has to report before week 10 to get credit for the season and be a FA next year.

[jwenger]

No No No HELL NO----- Don't "trade" Byrd. Everytime this team
"trades" someone we always end up getting screwed we never
get fair value. He is a top young DB and just getting to his prime.
You resign him Period. Have guys like Mario etc. restructure to get
the money if you have to. I can't understand how some teams can
manage money and are always able to sign their guys.

[SquishDaFish]

He will be signed by end of preseason.


PS Is it your goal to make 1-10 different threads per day?

[NOT THE DUDE...]

So the fact we drafted a guy in the 5th round means Byrd is gone?

What?

wtf???

[OpIv37]

i just don't see it. this isn't the nhl. no one is sending us a player equal to byrd for byrd. so a low pick is barely anything worth getting excited about.

the negotiation is in byrd's favor now. but if the bills get to the start of the season, and he's not playing, the bills make him sit a year. that will hurt his longer term value.

i think there is time for it to work out. i would suspect this goes to hold out. and i suspect the bills wil get him to play at the franchise tag. You can't miss all of camp with new schemes and then expect to play great and/or even see the field. byrd is taking quite a bit of risk. in the long term because if the bills are offering a fair contract and he's haggling for pennies, the bills will screw him in the long run which may hurt his contract value in the longer term.

I agree- we are definitely not going to get good player value in the trade. We could get a decent pick for him that might help in 2-3 years. Again, ideally we'd keep Byrd.

But in the real world, they're $2 MILLION apart. And Byrd's agent is Eugene Parker, who has been a pain in Buffalo's ass in the past. I don't see any way they find a compromise with that much difference.

And in the real world, we aren't winning **** this year with or without Byrd. So, grab a pick or two, let some young guys take their lumps and prepare for the future. It's typical Buffalo: The realistic options are the bad one and the less bad one. The incompetence of this organization always manages to take the good option off the table somehow.

[OpIv37]

So the fact we drafted a guy in the 5th round means Byrd is gone?

What?

It has nothing to do with who we drafted.

Byrd is a FA. He couldn't find an agreement on a long-term contract with the Bills, so the Bills designated him with a franchise tender.

This means that, if Byrd signs the franchise tender, he will play in Buffalo this year and his salary will be the average of the 5 highest paid safeties in the league (as per CBA rules). Next off-season, he will be a FA who can negotiate with any team, including the Bills.

However, Byrd's other option is to NOT sign the tender and sit out this season. So far, he hasn't signed the tender. At this point, that doesn't mean he's not playing. He could still choose to sign the tender, or he could come to a long-term contract agreement with the Bills. If either happens, he'll be suiting up on opening day.

But, last week some reports came out that he wants $9 million a year and the Bills were offering $7 million.

If Byrd signs the tender and plays this year, the Bills likely won't be able to afford him next year and he'll get a big contract with some other team. That's the only reason people are talking about trading him: if he and the team can't agree on a contract before the season starts, he's likely gone after THIS season for nothing.

[justasportsfan]

Unlike POZ, Byrd is a proven playmaker. I would rather over pay a player like him than a POZ.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

But, last week some reports came out that he wants $9 million a year and the Bills were offering $7 million.

FWIW, Goldson just got 8.25 million a year. Byrd has better numbers and is two years younger so $9million is exactly what his market value would be.

So pay him, Whaley!

[OpIv37]

FWIW, Goldson just got 8.25 million a year. Byrd has better numbers and is two years younger so $9million is exactly what his market value would be.

So pay him, Whaley!

And this is why I don't think anything will change as long as Ralph and Russ are still affiliated with the team.

[justasportsfan]

And this is why I don't think anything will change as long as Ralph and Russ are still affiliated with the team.

huh? Didn't the bills just pay a lot of cash for Fitz , Marrio , etc?

[OpIv37]

huh? Didn't the bills just pay a lot of cash for Fitz , Marrio , etc?

You don't see the pattern?

Spend stupidly, refuse to spend for four or five years because you got burnt, spend desperately in an attempt to win before you have a full-on fan revolt. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Bills spent on Fitz and Mario. Now it's hibernation mode for at least 3 off-seasons.

[trapezeus]

the bills need to peca byrd. don't cave into any trades. get a contract that is fair and if he balks, you make his sit a year. and when he signs the tender for the franchise tender, you do not play him in games, and you practice him harder than any other player. you essentially break him.

that being said, i think this is all part of the dance and the bills don't have to go that far. they simply have to set a deadline and say, "we are open for business and we'd like this to be done. give us your number. and we'll get there by such and such a date. and if that isn't a problem, know that we intend to keep him regardless of offers and or detriment to us. he won't collect that money that we are offering him today."

If the bills really are under market value though, then shame on them. and hopefully that's simply becaus the new staff doesn't want him. but i find that laughable. he's been good playing a role that he's not suited for. if you put him on what pettine is trying to do, he could have like a 10INT season!

[NOT THE DUDE...]

the bills need to peca byrd. don't cave into any trades. get a contract that is fair and if he balks, you make his sit a year.
and when he signs the tender for the franchise tender, you do not play him in games, and you practice him harder than any other player. you essentially break him.

that being said, i think this is all part of the dance and the bills don't have to go that far. they simply have to set a deadline and say, "we are open for business and we'd like this to be done. give us your number. and we'll get there by such and such a date. and if that isn't a problem, know that we intend to keep him regardless of offers and or detriment to us. he won't collect that money that we are offering him today."

If the bills really are under market value though, then shame on them. and hopefully that's simply becaus the new staff doesn't want him. but i find that laughable. he's been good playing a role that he's not suited for. if you put him on what pettine is trying to do, he could have like a 10INT season!

typical capitalist bs

[tatersalad]

It has nothing to do with who we drafted.

Byrd is a FA. He couldn't find an agreement on a long-term contract with the Bills, so the Bills designated him with a franchise tender.

This means that, if Byrd signs the franchise tender, he will play in Buffalo this year and his salary will be the average of the 5 highest paid safeties in the league (as per CBA rules). Next off-season, he will be a FA who can negotiate with any team, including the Bills.

However, Byrd's other option is to NOT sign the tender and sit out this season. So far, he hasn't signed the tender. At this point, that doesn't mean he's not playing. He could still choose to sign the tender, or he could come to a long-term contract agreement with the Bills. If either happens, he'll be suiting up on opening day.

But, last week some reports came out that he wants $9 million a year and the Bills were offering $7 million.

If Byrd signs the tender and plays this year, the Bills likely won't be able to afford him next year and he'll get a big contract with some other team. That's the only reason people are talking about trading him: if he and the team can't agree on a contract before the season starts, he's likely gone after THIS season for nothing.



Whats stopping them from using franchise label next yr have to increase his salary 20% from this year I'd love for the Bills to play hardball too

[tatersalad]

and it is still better than if he signed longterm, NO guarnteed money so say he signs for 6.9million next yr would be 8.28 so we have him for 2 yrs at 15mil and change thats about what we are ofering anyways but nothing guarnteed

[OpIv37]

Whats stopping them from using franchise label next yr have to increase his salary 20% from this year I'd love for the Bills to play hardball too

If he wants $9 million a year and they franchise him next year at $8.28 million, Russ Brandon should be dragged out to the parking lot and stoned to death like a prostitute in the Bible. Saving over $2 million this year with a tight cap makes SOME sense, but an NFL team squabbling over $720k is absurd. Of course, depending on his play this year, that $9 million number could go up or down (although with Parker as his agent, I highly doubt it'll go down. He could have his foot amputated and Parker would argue that should make more because he's lighter and can run faster).

In the long run, it's the same issue: are the Bills going to be competitive enough in 2014 that keeping Byrd for one more season then losing him for nothing is a better option than trading him for draft picks? It's way too soon to attempt to answer that question.

[tatersalad]

Just saying NFL players are one injury from retirement... They want the Money guarenteed I'd tell parker look we will franchise him the NEXT 3 years and if his play tails off or he gets injured then what 2 million can be gapped

[Meathead]

i think i recall a team can only franchise the same player twice. is that correct?

[OpIv37]

i think i recall a team can only franchise the same player twice. is that correct?

I was reading about it earlier.

Technically a player can be franchised up to 3 times, but the rules for franchising a QB apply, so it would be roughly a 44% pay increase over the previous year. So realistically, it's not going to happen. Any team that could afford that could afford to just give the guy the contract he wants.

[Skooby]

No.

[BillsFever21]

I want to keep Byrd and if they don't it will show the utter incompetence of the front office. They need to negotiate non-stop up until preseason and if you offer him fair money and you can't agree on a contract then that means he doesn't want to be here. If that's the case then they need to trade him for draft picks.

Better to get the process moving now so we can find out before we get stuck maybe franchising him for one losing season and then letting him walk for nothing. If we can't keep him then it shouldn't be very difficult getting either a 1st round or a 2nd round along with another draft pick for him.

[better days]

I want to keep Byrd and if they don't it will show the utter incompetence of the front office. They need to negotiate non-stop up until preseason and if you offer him fair money and you can't agree on a contract then that means he doesn't want to be here. If that's the case then they need to trade him for draft picks.

Better to get the process moving now so we can find out before we get stuck maybe franchising him for one losing season and then letting him walk for nothing. If we can't keep him then it shouldn't be very difficult getting either a 1st round or a 2nd round along with another draft pick for him.

It was reported that Peters took less money from Philly than the Bills offered. It could be a similar situation with Byrd but if the Bills could work out a trade as good as that was for the Bills, I would be on board.

[OpIv37]

I want to keep Byrd and if they don't it will show the utter incompetence of the front office. They need to negotiate non-stop up until preseason and if you offer him fair money and you can't agree on a contract then that means he doesn't want to be here. If that's the case then they need to trade him for draft picks.

Better to get the process moving now so we can find out before we get stuck maybe franchising him for one losing season and then letting him walk for nothing. If we can't keep him then it shouldn't be very difficult getting either a 1st round or a 2nd round along with another draft pick for him.

That's exactly what I'm saying. So far, though, they haven't given him a fair offer. He wants $9 million, and there are other safeties in the NFL with worse stats than him that are getting north of $8 million. The Bills are offering $7 million.

That being said, I won't put this on Whaley just yet. Nix left him with a cap mess and there may not be $9 million under the cap to give him.

[better days]

That's exactly what I'm saying. So far, though, they haven't given him a fair offer. He wants $9 million, and there are other safeties in the NFL with worse stats than him that are getting north of $8 million. The Bills are offering $7 million.

That being said, I won't put this on Whaley just yet. Nix left him with a cap mess and there may not be $9 million under the cap to give him.

Where are you getting your figures from? As far as I know the Bills have plenty of cap money. Also where did you get the amount the Bills are offering? This team has been in STEALTH mode for some time now & I doubt ANYBODY not associated with the team has any idea how the negotiations are going or what the Bills have offered. The Bills have said they will not negotiate through the press & I am sure Parker is going along with that.

[OpIv37]

Where are you getting your figures from? As far as I know the Bills have plenty of cap money. Also where did you get the amount the Bills are offering? This team has been in STEALTH mode for some time now & I doubt ANYBODY not associated with the team has any idea how the negotiations are going or what the Bills have offered. The Bills have said they will not negotiate through the press & I am sure Parker is going along with that.

There were at least two sources last week that said Byrd wanted 9 and the Bills were offering 7. Both were posted on this board. There was a thread about it.

As far as cap space, well, we have Mario's contract. We are eating $3 million in dead cap from Fitz alone. We failed to retain Levitre and haven't been able to come to an agreement with Byrd. If I remember correctly, you are one of the ones who gave Nix credit for retaining his own. Well, no Levitre and now we have problems with Byrd. If we have cap space and STILL can't lock these guys up, it's time to rethink that stance.

Oh, and the team has done almost nothing in FA. And they haven't even locked up any of the guys that we have to long-term deals.

If the team has cap space and they are still acting like this, there are no explanations other than cheapness or utter incompetence.
'

[Bert102176]

If we do trade him it should be 1st and 3rd round picks, and the way the front office runs as incompitant as they are he will be traded, personally I want him signed.

[NOT THE DUDE...]

I don't want to lose him, but more than that, I don't want to lose him and get nothing...

[Raptor]

If they trade Byrd everyone in the front office should be fired and the "Whole build through the draft" line is complete BS

[better days]

There were at least two sources last week that said Byrd wanted 9 and the Bills were offering 7. Both were posted on this board. There was a thread about it.

As far as cap space, well, we have Mario's contract. We are eating $3 million in dead cap from Fitz alone. We failed to retain Levitre and haven't been able to come to an agreement with Byrd. If I remember correctly, you are one of the ones who gave Nix credit for retaining his own. Well, no Levitre and now we have problems with Byrd. If we have cap space and STILL can't lock these guys up, it's time to rethink that stance.

Oh, and the team has done almost nothing in FA. And they haven't even locked up any of the guys that we have to long-term deals.

If the team has cap space and they are still acting like this, there are no explanations other than cheapness or utter incompetence.
'

It was posted on this board the Bills were drafting Nassibe, Geno & Barkley as well. Just because something was posted on this board does not make it true.

As far as the cap, the Bills may not want to do anything in regards to FAs until they see if they can work out a deal with Byrd.

I also heard on Sirius that there will be a NUMBER of GOOD players cut yet after TC gets going so it should be no surprise if the Bills land another player or two......................players better than what is available NOW.

[OpIv37]

It was posted on this board the Bills were drafting Nassibe, Geno & Barkley as well. Just because something was posted on this board does not make it true.

As far as the cap, the Bills may not want to do anything in regards to FAs until they see if they can work out a deal with Byrd.

I also heard on Sirius that there will be a NUMBER of GOOD players cut yet after TC gets going so it should be no surprise if the Bills land another player or two......................players better than what is available NOW.

They were links to reports from national sources, not just unconfirmed board postings.

And not signing FA's that could help the team in hopes that there are TC cuts that a) are good enough to help and b) can be convinced to come here is just stupid.

[better days]

They were links to reports from national sources, not just unconfirmed board postings.

And not signing FA's that could help the team in hopes that there are TC cuts that a) are good enough to help and b) can be convinced to come here is just stupid.

You mean like the National sources that had the Bills drafting Nassib or Geno?