Let the Byrd negotiations begin

[X-Era]

I'm pretty sure that now that the regular season has concluded we can again negotiate with Byrd on a new deal.

Personally, I want to pay him. This team has no business losing talent. We should be gaining it.

I think it can get done at 8-8.5 per.

What say you? Sign him or not?

By the way, here's his tweets:

"All things happen for a reason... Learning and growing all the time."

https://twitter.com/jairusbyrd/status/417480824335110145

"I'm so thankful that I had the privilege to play with this secondary and be coached by Donnie Henderson...Blessed"

https://twitter.com/jairusbyrd/status/417483545159151617

"I also appreciate you fans, you all have been great during my time here."

https://twitter.com/jairusbyrd/status/417485758673743872

[Thurmal]

He is gone. Thinking he will re-sign is delusional.

[Mace]

I don't really see the point. The legendary ballhawk had the same amt of ints as the journeyman Leonhard, with one more pass defensed and about 8 more tackles in far more games started.

It's kind of fun to pretend we have something special but we don't unless he turns it on for his new team. He evidently won't here.

[YardRat]

Screw Byrd, it's obvious by his comments that he has zero desire to return to Buffalo, and he's already bailed on the team twice this season. Let him walk, or sign and trade, but I want somebody with a little more football brains and some speed faster than an offensive lineman manning the cover1 spot.

[TacklingDummy]

I'll be happy the Byrd trade turns into Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina or Jace Amaro, TE, Texas Tech

[The King]

I read that Byrd plans on bringing all the DB's to Hawaii with him, if he's turned the corner and want to be here. I want him back, but he needs to negotiate with the Bills not hold them at ransom.

[Novacane]

I'll be happy the Byrd trade turns into Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina or Jace Amaro, TE, Texas Tech


I don't think we can get a first for him.

[justasportsfan]

tag him . I'm okay with getting even just a 2nd for him.

[Uncle Jesse]

His tweets seemed like he was leaving, however it's not actually up to him in the end, so.

[DraftBoy]

I hope he gets max money and I hope its here but if its not I wish him nothing but the best.

[sudzy]

He's tweeting his good byes. Doesn't look good

[TacklingDummy]

I don't think we can get a first for him.
Sweeten the deal, Byrd and CJ for a 1st and 3rd.

[DraftBoy]

Sweeten the deal, Byrd and CJ for a 1st and 3rd.

Yes because that makes sense...

[T-Long]

why are people saying to trade him? Can't trade someone who isn't under contract. Are you saying to trade him after tagging him?

[DraftBoy]

why are people saying to trade him? Can't trade someone who isn't under contract. Are you saying to trade him after tagging him?

Yes, they know you have to tag him first.

[TacklingDummy]

Yes because that makes sense...

Next year could be Byrd and CJs last year in a Buffalo.
CJ contract is up too. He's nothing special.
With the 3rd rounder we can get his replacement.

[DraftBoy]

Next year could be Byrd and CJs last year in a Buffalo.
CJ contract is up too. He's nothing special.
With the 3rd rounder we can get his replacement.

And I could of hit the Mega Millions but I didn't.

Yea nothing special only our most dynamic threat on offense who had over 1,000 all purpose yards this year despite not being at 100% ever. Was he what we all wanted this year? No, but its idiotic to be talking about trading him going into a contract year when he will be healthy and could go for 1,500 on the ground easy.

Yea you run the risk of losing him in FA but a good Front Office pays their players what they deserve. You don't trade CJ right now, it makes no sense to lose value on him.

[GingerP]

Yes, they know you have to tag him first.

Not only do they have to tag him, he has to sign the tender. You can't trade a tender, and it isn't a contract until he signs it. That gives Byrd some control in any trade, he would have to approve before it could be done.

[TacklingDummy]

Yea nothing special only our most dynamic threat on offense who had over 1,000 all purpose yards this year despite not being at 100% ever. Was he what we all wanted this year? No, but its idiotic to be talking about trading him going into a contract year when he will be healthy and could go for 1,500 on the ground easy.

.his 12 career rushing touchdowns can easily be replaced.

[DraftBoy]

his 12 career rushing touchdowns can easily be replaced.

Thank you for that obscure and completely nonsensical statistic.

- - - Updated - - -


Not only do they have to tag him, he has to sign the tender. You can't trade a tender, and it isn't a contract until he signs it. That gives Byrd some control in any trade, he would have to approve before it could be done.

True, you tag him, work out a deal, he signs the tender and the trade is done.

[alohabillsfan]

I'm ok with trading him, not that it matters. I think it's a colossal waste of money to sign him at that position. Imo

[Oldbillsfan]

Who cares about the Bills wasting money? 20+ mil under the cap? why?

[X-Era]

Who cares about the Bills wasting money? 20+ mil under the cap? why?
Especially when we're talking about being 1 or even 2 mill apart. I mean we need another Legursky?

[Ed]

I'd like to see Byrd re-sign here, but I have no expectations of that actually happening. I'd say tag him and trade him for a 2nd if he doesn't want to stay in Buffalo, but if they couldn't trade him last year, I don't know why this year would be any different.

Ideally, along with Byrd re-signing I would also like to see Aaron Williams get an extension now as I think his value is only going up and I really like him as our SS. With Gilmore and McKelvin under contract for a few more years too, extensions for Byrd and Williams would really give us a solid young secondary for a while that I wouldn't have any issues with.

[X-Era]

I'd like to see Byrd re-sign here, but I have no expectations of that actually happening. I'd say tag him and trade him for a 2nd if he doesn't want to stay in Buffalo, but if they couldn't trade him last year, I don't know why this year would be any different.

Ideally, along with Byrd re-signing I would also like to see Aaron Williams get an extension now as I think his value is only going up and I really like him as our SS. With Gilmore and McKelvin under contract for a few more years too, extensions for Byrd and Williams would really give us a solid young secondary for a while that I wouldn't have any issues with.I think the tag is like 8.2 mill this year for him. So it's less than what he wants (9 I believe). However, it's so close to being the same they might as well just sign him then.

If they can tag him and get a 2nd I'd do that.

[Mr. Pink]

Why sign Byrd for 9 million when we can go out and waste like 7 million on someone like TJ Ward instead!

Oh wait, we won't do that either.

Ralphie will pocket the 9 million and they'll put Duke Williams as the starting FS instead.

[kscdogbillsfan1221]

the bills MO always seems to have been 'next man up'

very infrequently it works out for them, but now and then it does.... ie.. terry bledsoe to bill polian

[Beebe's Kid]

But, but, Byrd doesn't want to be in Buffalo...bull****. Pay him. Don't be stupid. In 2 years his contract won't be the highest anymore, and he is likely to be a deal at the money...

Or the Bills could trade him for a draft pick, because they never miss on those... Maybe trade the best 2nd rounder they have grabbed in years, and get a 2nd or a 3rd for him. That sounds like an incredible deal.

But, there is the fact that he just doesn't love the Bills like you do, so it is probably better off getting rid of him.

Also, the players never really have the upper hand in the negotiating process. That is always with the team. That doesn't mean that you get something for nothing, but the team has the advantage, for sure.

[X-Era]

Why sign Byrd for 9 million when we can go out and waste like 7 million on someone like TJ Ward instead!

Oh wait, we won't do that either.

Ralphie will pocket the 9 million and they'll put Duke Williams as the starting FS instead.And this, right here, is where we agree on how the Bills typically act.

[BertSquirtgum]

Next year could be Byrd and CJs last year in a Buffalo.
CJ contract is up too. He's nothing special.
With the 3rd rounder we can get his replacement.

CJ is signed for until the end of the 2015 season.

[The Jokeman]

Why sign Byrd for 9 million when we can go out and waste like 7 million on someone like TJ Ward instead!

Oh wait, we won't do that either.

Ralphie will pocket the 9 million and they'll put Duke Williams as the starting FS instead.

Na Ralph will use the $9M to re-sign guys like Carrington, Chandler and get an UFAs like WR Kenny Britt and OG Mike Pollak. As on the surface it looks like he's keeping the team together and adding talent but in reality not so much.

[Skooby]

They will not offer Byrd more than $8.5 M, no way.

[Mace]

Why sign Byrd for 9 million when we can go out and waste like 7 million on someone like TJ Ward instead!

Oh wait, we won't do that either.

Ralphie will pocket the 9 million and they'll put Duke Williams as the starting FS instead.

Sort of time to let go of Ralph. Best he gets these days is his favorite breakfast and his favorite flavor of Ensure.

Come join us in the present. Brandon will pocket the 9 million and they'll put Duke Williams as the starting FS instead.

[Buffalogic]

I don't understand why people take the Byrd situation so personally. The guy has been great for us and is never in trouble off the field. His statistics don't lie, and someone will pay him accordingly for those achievements. He has absolutely no affiliation to Buffalo. It makes no sense to stay on a losing team if you can be paid top dollar elsewhere and land in a better situation. The biased hate towards Byrd is silly. Any other strategy from Byrd would be completely illogical. I would love to have him back, but I'm not going to crucify him for making a smart, unbiased decision.

[RedEyE]

His tweets could just be a ruse, jockeying for a high dollar beg to stay. Honestly, I don't care for all the drama. I think he considers his value a bit higher to hang in with a sub-par team like Buffalo. If given half the chance elsewhere I guarantee he signs for less money for a playoff caliber team. I don' t think the Bills are really in a position to negotiate with top tier free agents. They need to pay a higher dollar and then pray the investment pays off. Once (if) they've established a winning product in the NFL they will be able to more freely low ball.

So, I say pay Byrd despite his true value and maintain a higher level of consistency. Tagging the guy, again, is just going to piss him off, again, and then if no one jumps in and snatches him up, the Bills are then paying for a guy that will half heartedly play just half a season. Chances are his plantar facitis will ironically flare up again just before game 1. Just pay him and move on to more glaring holes.

[YardRat]

I'd be all for seeing what Duke Williams could do from the FS position in this defense. He's faster than Byrd by a lot (relatively speaking) and had somewhat of a reputation as a hitter during college if I remeber correctly. My only concerns are his lack of playing time this season (must be a reason for that) and I honestly don't know how well he does at reading and reacting.

Spend Byrd's 9-10mil on a DT, a MLB and an offensive lineman and the team overall will be much better off.

[TacklingDummy]

CJ is signed for until the end of the 2015 season.
On the radio show after the game last night they said CJ met the incentives to void 2015.

[TacklingDummy]

C.J. Spiller

Spiller's rookie contract, signed in August of 2010, was reported as a five-year deal, keeping him under contract through the end of the 2014 season. It's actually a six-year deal - NFLPA records have him on the books through the end of the 2015 season - but Spiller will have the option to void the sixth year.

Marcell Dareus

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft is only entering his third season, but the Bills will have an important decision to make on his contract next off-season. His fully guaranteed four-year deal has a fifth-year club option that must be exercised after the third year of the contract - and that option will pay Dareus the value of the current league year's transition tag number at his position (which was $6.919 million this year). Unless the Bills trigger that fifth-year option, Spiller and Dareus could hit free agency at the same time.

Eric Wood

Before we even get to Spiller and Dareus, however, the Bills have another big contract coming up next spring in the form of Wood, the team's starting center for two (going on three) years. He'll make $2.3 million in the fifth and final year of his rookie deal, and if he can play more consistently and stay healthy this season, he could command a good chunk of coin to remain in the pivot of the Bills' re-tooling offensive line.

[GingerP]

They already extended Wood.

[kscdogbillsfan1221]

They already extended Wood.

giggity

[DynaPaul]

I think he believes he's gone so we have to tag and trade him to get something out of the deal.

[BillsFever21]

The Bills had their chance to sign him this season and washed it down the drain. The only way Byrd will be back in a Bills uniform is if they tag him again. If that happens then they already have 15 million tied up in him when they could've just signed him for around 20 million in guaranteed money this year to begin with.

[Bill Cody]

The Bills had their chance to sign him this season and washed it down the drain. The only way Byrd will be back in a Bills uniform is if they tag him again. If that happens then they already have 15 million tied up in him when they could've just signed him for around 20 million in guaranteed money this year to begin with.

Not if we tag and trade. Then his contract and sore bunyons are someone else's worry

[BillsFever21]

Not if we tag and trade. Then his contract and sore bunyons are someone else's worry

Obviously they can trade him. If they won't re-sign him then that's the logical choice if it's at least a 2nd round pick. We would probably get a 3rd round compensatory pick when he leaves.

Any team that traded for him isn't worried about the contract or they wouldn't be giving up the draft pick for him. The only way a team will trade for him is if they already have a contract agreement in place with him. Nobody is giving up a draft pick just to have him under the one year franchise tag tender.

[Ed]

I think if the Bills could have traded Byrd last year they would have, but it was reported that interest in him from other teams was "lukewarm". My guess right now is that he just leaves without being tagged and the Bills will say they did their best to re-sign him. If they couldn't meet his demands last year, what's going to be different this year? And if they can't get value for him in a trade, why would they want to go through all the same BS as last year, but at a more expensive price?

They'll just move Searcy back to FS and say that he played well there in Byrd's absence and that there won't be much drop off. I think they would rather spend the money on offense to give EJ every chance to be successful. At the end of the day that's all this regime is really going to be judged on. Is EJ Manuel a franchise qb or not? The last thing they want is for him to fail, so I just don't see them wanting to spend a lot of money on a safety.

[Mr. Pink]

I think if the Bills could have traded Byrd last year they would have, but it was reported that interest in him from other teams was "lukewarm". My guess right now is that he just leaves without being tagged and the Bills will say they did their best to re-sign him. If they couldn't meet his demands last year, what's going to be different this year? And if they can't get value for him in a trade, why would they want to go through all the same BS as last year, but at a more expensive price?

They'll just move Searcy back to FS and say that he played well there in Byrd's absence and that there won't be much drop off. I think they would rather spend the money on offense to give EJ every chance to be successful. At the end of the day that's all this regime is really going to be judged on. Is EJ Manuel a franchise qb or not? The last thing they want is for him to fail, so I just don't see them wanting to spend a lot of money on a safety.

Byrd didn't sign his tender quickly enough to be traded last year. No one is trading for rent-a-players in the NFL which is what Byrd would have been to any team last year. If he would have signed his tender quicker, teams would have still had time to negotiate with him to lock him up long term.

[GingerP]

Byrd didn't sign his tender quickly enough to be traded last year. No one is trading for rent-a-players in the NFL which is what Byrd would have been to any team last year. If he would have signed his tender quicker, teams would have still had time to negotiate with him to lock him up long term.

He could negotiate with teams all during free agency. Unless exclusive, which Byrd was not, a franchise player is a free agent (granted, one with high comp attached).

He does need to sign the tender to be traded, though. If the Bills were to work out trade terms with a team, that team would have to sign Byrd to a contract he approves of or he can block that trade by just not signing the tender.

[Mr. Pink]

He could negotiate with teams all during free agency. Unless exclusive, which Byrd was not, a franchise player is a free agent (granted, one with high comp attached).

He does need to sign the tender to be traded, though. If the Bills were to work out trade terms with a team, that team would have to sign Byrd to a contract he approves of or he can block that trade by just not signing the tender.

No player in the NFL minus maybe Drew Brees is worth the trade price of just signing someone like your first paragraph suggests. If Brady and Manning were younger they'd fit with that idea too. Two first round picks is way too much to give up. Plus if Byrd found a team he liked at less than what he was asking for, the Bills could have just matched the offer and retained him.

[Ed]

No player in the NFL minus maybe Drew Brees is worth the trade price of just signing someone like your first paragraph suggests. If Brady and Manning were younger they'd fit with that idea too. Two first round picks is way too much to give up. Plus if Byrd found a team he liked at less than what he was asking for, the Bills could have just matched the offer and retained him.
If there was a team willing to pay Byrd what he wanted and give the Bills the draft pick they wanted, signing his tender would have just been a formality. Not signing his tender didn't prevent the Bills or his agent from negotiating with other teams.