Official: Bills will not tender David Nelson

[Skooby]

Nix has already said we won't be active day 1 of free agency like last year. Don't get your hopes up on any big signings other than our own guys.

He'll be sleeping by 8:00 PM so it's expected.

[Oldbillsfan]

Well I heard the Pats wanted him before, so.... :-/

[Night Train]

Our cap situation depends on how the Byrd and Levitre situations play out. If we were able to resign both or resign one and tag the other.........much of our available cap space is gone.

Wilson and Barnett cap savings basically equals Byrd franchise tag

If Fitz gets cut, then the figure supposedly shrinks to 10-11 Mil, due to the 10 Mil dead cap hit, correct ? Then maybe we get another 5 Mil back if Kelsay is cut ? All so confusing.

[Buddo]

I can't say I'm very enamored of this (non) move, if true. Nelson converted a lot of 3rd downs, and was a decent player. Sure, strictly speaking, no more than a 3rd or 4th WR, but well up to being that. He's also got better hands than any other WR currently on the roster, including Stevie. Something doesn't quite add up here, to me.
I'd be very surprised also, if 'twitter' should be the way he's going to hear about it. Doesn't seem like it's Nix, or Marrone's way of doing things.
If it does pan out as true, then somebody needs to find out how this information got out, as it's otherwise going to start our new HC off, on a very shaky footing in the locker room. From all I've heard, Nelson is a very, genuinely, decent human being, and being treated in such a disrespectful fashion, won't sit well with his team-mates, I'm sure.

[Skooby]

David Nelson ‏@DavidNelson86 1 min ago.
Wow. If this is true- then I def do get all my info from twitter.. RT: @JasonColeYahoo: Bills not expected to tender RFA WR David Nelson

[better days]

If Fitz gets cut, then the figure supposedly shrinks to 10-11 Mil, due to the 10 Mil dead cap hit, correct ? Then maybe we get another 5 Mil back if Kelsay is cut ? All so confusing.

No. If Fitz gets cut the Bills save another $450,000.

[Yasgur's Farm]

If Fitz gets cut, then the figure supposedly shrinks to 10-11 Mil, due to the 10 Mil dead cap hit, correct ? Then maybe we get another 5 Mil back if Kelsay is cut ? All so confusing.

Not correct... Fitz currently counts $10.45M against the cap... He will count $10M if he's released. The Bills currently have around $17M cap room with Fitz on or off the roster.

But if Byrd ($6.8M tag) & Levitre ($7M best case scenario) get $13.8M, that leaves just $4.2M to sign our rookies. I've seen it estimated that we'll actually need $5.5M for rookies... So we'd need to free up a few million still.

Good news is that if Fitz is released, we'll be clear of $8M cap hit in 2014.

[better days]

Not correct... Fitz currently counts $10.45M against the cap... He will count $10M if he's released. The Bills currently have around $17M cap room with Fitz on or off the roster.

But if Byrd ($6.8M tag) & Levitre ($7M best case scenario) get $13.8M, that leaves just $4.2M to sign our rookies. I've seen it estimated that we'll actually need $5.5M for rookies... So we'd need to free up a few million still.

Good news is that if Fitz is released, we'll be clear of $8M cap hit in 2014.

I think with the cuts the Bills made & the increase of the cap to $122 Million the Bills are about $20 Million under the cap at this time.

[Albany,n.y.]

I'm amazed by the fans of Nelson & Jones and their reactions when they heard the Bills new management doesn't want them. I told someone last season that the Bills receivers, outside of Stevie Johnson were in my words "total garbage" and I believe that Marrone & his staff came in, saw some tapes & have reached the same conclusion. I think the Bills had only 1 real NFL receiver on the roster last year. Also outside of Chandler, who is now injured, the TEs were garbage too. Now Fitzpatrick may be inconsistent & nothing more than one of the league's better backup QBs, but really, when you have guys like Jones & Nelson getting significant playing time, it means you have no receivers to throw to.
It's time us to applaud management for realizing that giving new contracts to dime a dozen receivers who will be lucky to get the 5th receiver roster spots on an NFL team next year would have been wasting everyone's time. It's time to move on from guys who are in the lineup because the guys running things couldn't find anything other than Stevie Johnson and a bunch of #5 receivers to make up the receiver group on the roster.

[Yasgur's Farm]

I think with the cuts the Bills made & the increase of the cap to $122 Million the Bills are about $20 Million under the cap at this time.

According to spotrac, you are correct. But it's not an exact science. And there are other sites with less optimistic numbers.

But either way, we don't have a lot of room after considering Byrd, Levitre and rookies. Plus... Teams generally need to have a few mill during the course of the season in order to bring injury replacements off the couch.

[Yasgur's Farm]

According to this site http://www.nyjetscap.com/Bills/bills2013.php ... We had $20.9M room remaining (with $121M cap) before we signed Tarvaris Jackson and Colin Brown (combined $2.92M hit). That leaves $17.98M.

[Night Train]

I'm amazed by the fans of Nelson & Jones and their reactions when they heard the Bills new management doesn't want them. I told someone last season that the Bills receivers, outside of Stevie Johnson were in my words "total garbage" and I believe that Marrone & his staff came in, saw some tapes & have reached the same conclusion. I think the Bills had only 1 real NFL receiver on the roster last year. Also outside of Chandler, who is now injured, the TEs were garbage too. Now Fitzpatrick may be inconsistent & nothing more than one of the league's better backup QBs, but really, when you have guys like Jones & Nelson getting significant playing time, it means you have no receivers to throw to.
It's time us to applaud management for realizing that giving new contracts to dime a dozen receivers who will be lucky to get the 5th receiver roster spots on an NFL team next year would have been wasting everyone's time. It's time to move on from guys who are in the lineup because the guys running things couldn't find anything other than Stevie Johnson and a bunch of #5 receivers to make up the receiver group on the roster.

Ding,ding,ding. We have a winner.

I don't dislike Nelson but explain to me how he's such an asset when he's on IR more often than not.

Let the new coach make his roster. Bills should get at least 2 WR's in FA or the draft.

[psubills62]

Nelson has been OK, but I've not been a fan. He is a tweener; slow and plodding for a WR, but thin and lanky for a TE. I don't know why people have gotten so attached to him. It would not be hard to find better WRs or some actually TEs (which is a position we desperately need).

[better days]

According to this site http://www.nyjetscap.com/Bills/bills2013.php ... We had $20.9M room remaining (with $121M cap) before we signed Tarvaris Jackson and Colin Brown (combined $2.92M hit). That leaves $17.98M.

I'm pretty sure, the cuts came after TJax & Brown were signed.

[better days]

I'm pretty sure, the cuts came after TJax & Brown were signed.

I was wrong, the cuts came first, but I still think the Bills are $20 Million under the cap. Did the Jets have the increase in the cap in their figures? It was reported to be $120 Million at first, but was revised to $122 Million.

[Yasgur's Farm]

They didn't give a league cap figure... Only the figures that would go against that cap... I just did the subtracting from the $121M. If it ends up $122M, then it looks like we're at $19M to the good.

[ServoBillieves]

Nelson looked great in 2011 having been forced in to the #2 role. 600 yards and 5 TD's isn't half bad on a bad team. He's not a "#5" receiver by any means, but he's better than the other trash on the team currently, so it really does raise the question "are we tanking?"

Now before you just read that and start huffing and puffing, until something happens in FA or the draft, I don't believe it to be true. If we can pick up a decent, proven receiver in FA and also one in the draft to compliment Stevie and maybe a QB with an arm to throw to TJ... we can solidify that #2 role and I'd be fine.

A lineup of CJ in the backfield, Stevie, (insert name here), TJ, and Chandler on the field seems formidable enough to me, so much as the name can get the job done and take coverage off of Stevie. I like Nelson, and hell, I like Fitz as a person and as a player (surprisingly) but I know for a fact he can't get it done. BUT, what we also forget, is he wasn't given the tools to get it done, either. It's a lose-lose situation, and he deserves good backup money.

Still doesn't change my mind about DN, I think he was a good player pre-injury and if given time will pan out as a good receiver.

And Night Train, we usually agree, but "He's on IR more often than not?" He's been in the league 3 years... that's 1 season where he had a knee injury that took him out. Look at Stevie's numbers years 1 and 2 and tell me Nelson wouldn't have helped last years team immensely.

[Thief]

Nelson is worth the tender and a solid slot guy. Oh, and if Fitz is cut his 10 mil cap hit can be spread out two years giving us 5.5 mil extra this year.

[DynaPaul]

We can get the same average receiver for less money. I'm personally not heart broken that he's not going to be tendered. Money ball baby!

[IlluminatusUIUC]

I'm not gonna say letting Jones and Nelson walk was a bad play. They were depth guys or slot guys at best. But I will say this, outside of Johnson, I think all the wideouts on our roster have less than 200 career receptions combined. OBD better be looking to invest heavy in the position in the draft or FA, or they must REALLY like what Brad Smith and TJ Graham bring to the table.