Winfield to enter FA market

[shelby]

The start of NFL free agency is still two weeks away, but the Buffalo Bills will not be able to keep star cornerback Antoine Winfield from entering the marketplace.

Winfield, through his agent, has informed general manager Tom Donahoe that he wants to solicit offers from other teams in what is expected to be a very hot market for cornerbacks. That market could swing in Winfield’s favor if Washington’s Champ Bailey, Baltimore’s Chris McAlister and Oakland’s Charles Woodson are kept in check by their team’s franchise tag.

“We were hopeful we could have some discussions, but they just seem to be pretty firm in the fact they want to get out there and test it,” Donahoe said Tuesday. “There’s not much we can do. When somebody doesn’t want to talk, it’s not a very good conversation.”

Donahoe spoke with Winfield’s Cincinnati-based agent Richard Katz before last season and briefly after the season ended.

“We talked numbers in general but it became clear we agreed to disagree,” Katz said.

full story (http://www.rochesterdandc.com/sports/bills/0218JK3ALSU_sports.shtml)

[Big M]

I can't see the Bills spending big Cap $$ on AW. I like the guy, yet we have so many needs right now ( Center ,Guard,Free Safety,DE,Another QB ). His lack of INT's doesn't help him.

McGee started to see more time late in the season. Bills may give him a shot at starting.

[Aero II]

I hope this doesn't blow up in the the Bills face. Granted, I don't feel that AW should earn big-big $$, but I don't wnat us to return to the days of Nate Odomes manning one half of the filed and the other side having a JD Williams type corner. We need 2 good corners. If the DB's need to give the D line more time by altering routs and making a QB go through progressions. I'm just not sold on McGee and a Starter. If AW goes, we will need to upgrade the tallent level of the DB's who are left.

[don137]

Winfield is a good, but far from great corner. He will most likely get more money tha he is worth if the Bailey, McCallister and Woodson are franchised. To overpay for someone in today's NFL and salary cap is taboo and only hurts a team as a whole.

[casdhf]

I hope we can keep him.

[Pride]

SWEET!!! See ya toast! :bigwave:

[TheGhostofJimKelly]

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

[ryjam282]

This pretty much means he is officially gone. I won't miss the guy that much. He was a great tackler but not a GREAT corner. He was above average. I would like to see us renegotiate Drew and get an extra 3 mil or so and pay someone else and win. Then AW will be pissed he didn't want to stay.

[Mr. Miyagi]

I hope we can keep him only because I have his jersey and don't feel like having to go out and buy another one.

[Devin]

Most of us wotn miss winfield we are more worried about "whats left". If TD brings in a solid CB not one of us is gonna care wtf AW the greedy snivler ends up.

[BillsFever]

The writing has been on the wall for months. No surprise here.

[juice]

We need a corner with some size. AW was outjumped on a regular.

[hintexas]

I dont have a problem with Winfield leaving as long as we can get one of the other free agent corners to come here or we draft one in the first round. Alot of very good cornerbacks will bea available in the middle of this years 1st round of the draft. I still feel like we need to draft a Wide Receiver or Offensive lineman in the first round but maybe we can take care of that in free agency instead.

[mchurchfie]

Originally posted by shelby
full story (http://www.rochesterdandc.com/sports/bills/0218JK3ALSU_sports.shtml)

Good read.:up:

[mchurchfie]

AW planned on testing free agancy right from the get go..there is no doubt in my mind. He will end up getting overpaid by some team and will drift off in obscurity just like all of the other DBs that have abandoned Buffalo for a better payday.:cynic:

[Romes]

With guys like Charles Woodson, Bobby Taylor, Troy Vincent, Ahmed Plummer, Shawn Springs then Will Peterson who is a RFA and maybe Ty Law, Chris McAllister, and Champ Baily there are plenty of other option for the Bills at CB.

Although Winfield sounds like he just wants to see what his value is. I wouldn't e suprised if he re-signed.

[mchurchfie]

Maybe he'll get a wakeup call as to his value just like Ruben Brown did that one year he went out looking for that pot of gold.

[wbat27]

I agree we can sign better for the same money he will get

[The_Philster]

Originally posted by mchurchfie
Maybe he'll get a wakeup call as to his value just like Ruben Brown did that one year he went out looking for that pot of gold.

I hope so....then he can come back to Buffalo. Maybe Gray will learn to play him in close coverage so that people will see he's better than they think.