Buffalo OL Connor McGovern off the market

[borisman]

I am struggling to understand how Buffalo even afforded this deal. Their cap situation seems like a disaster.

That’s what I thought. Buffalo spent more money, I think, than the Pats did last year, yet somehow they are still trading for a high cost player and signing their own FA. I don’t think they will be signing any more pricey UFA this off season.
It’s just not possible. But hey, I’m no capologist.

 

[Ross12]

That’s what I thought. Buffalo spent more money, I think, than the Pats did last year, yet somehow they are still trading for a high cost player and signing their own FA. I don’t think they will be signing any more pricey UFA this off season.
It’s just not possible. But hey, I’m no capologist.

They only have maybe $100M in cap space combined across the next 3 seasons. They can’t exactly kick the can down the road because the road doesn’t have much runway. For a comparison, the Patriots have almost $400M in cap space combined across the next 3 seasons.

 

[DaBruinz]

I am struggling to understand how Buffalo even afforded this deal. Their cap situation seems like a disaster.

Buffalo probably converted a bunch of salary to signing bonuses. They have numerous players they could do it with.. Including the recently acquired DJ Moore.

 

[DaBruinz]

I think that is very doubtful. Vrabel said, "Better, younger, cheaper." Onwenu's extension would be older and more expensive, and maybe not better. We will see.

He said that for THIS year. Not for next year. You're under the impression that will be the mantra every year going forward. Why?

 

[DaBruinz]

They only have maybe $100M in cap space combined across the next 3 seasons. They can’t exactly kick the can down the road because the road doesn’t have much runway. For a comparison, the Patriots have almost $400M in cap space combined across the next 3 seasons.

According to OTC, Buffalo has 20M in 2027, but 100M in 2028. . They don't have an estimate up for 2029.

T

 

[Ross12]

Buffalo probably converted a bunch of salary to signing bonuses. They have numerous players they could do it with.. Including the recently acquired DJ Moore.

They already have been doing that, though. OTC has not notated all of them yet.

 

[DaBruinz]

They already have been doing that, though. OTC has not notated all of them yet.

Still means that they've done it and freed up plenty of money..
McGovern was the one guy I was hoping they wouldn't keep.. Unfortunately, they did.. So we move on..

 

[patfanken]

Owenu hasn't played well since he signed the extension until this season. With that said, I don't think the Pats should extend him, but rather put pressure on him to duplicate 2025. The Pats had an out, but Owenu played well enough for the Pats to just carry the $25M cap hit for next season. Had he been mediocre in 2025, he would've been cut with Diggs.

Your thing with Owenu is wearing thin. You contradict yourself in your own post. You state he hasn't played well since he signed the extension, yet in your next sentence you state he played well enough to justify his $25MM cap hit. Well, you have to play VERY well to justify a cap hit that high for an OG. So. which is it?

The fact is Owenu DID play well in 2025 and is NOT going to be replaced. If Wilson is going to be the C next season, we need to get a VETERAN LG to stabilize the OL THAT is the priority, not to create another change where none is needed. Continuity is critical to OL play and need to keep as much as possible. Our priority should be a VETERAN FA OG and develop young depth to eventually replace Moses and possibly Owenu if the developmental OG gets good enough

 

[Ross12]

Still means that they've done it and freed up plenty of money..
McGovern was the one guy I was hoping they wouldn't keep.. Unfortunately, they did.. So we move on..

As far as I can tell, the cap space # on OTC (around $12M over the cap) reflects the money they have already "freed up" but the changes to the individual players are not reflected yet. So it might say they can still free up a chunk of change from someone like Allen but they already have, and that change is already reflected in their current #, just not his page. Etc.

Either way I guess we will know in about 3 days. From my POV it seems like they are not in a good spot, and adding Moore's contract plus a big new deal for McGovern isn't helping. They will need to get creative and push money into the next few years, but there is not a lot of room into which to push.

 

[mgteich]

They only have maybe $100M in cap space combined across the next 3 seasons. They can’t exactly kick the can down the road because the road doesn’t have much runway. For a comparison, the Patriots have almost $400M in cap space combined across the next 3 seasons.

BUF chooses to push much more into future cap years. That is necessary when the QB isn't on his rookie year. They seemed to be able to what they need each year. This year, they traded for Moore and extended McGovern.
==========
But, yes we have a lot of cap room each year and will be fine even when paying Williams, Maye, Gonzo and whichever top players we add over the next 3 years.

It is all a matter of cap planning.

 

[n1997y]

I think that is very doubtful. Vrabel said, "Better, younger, cheaper." Onwenu's extension would be older and more expensive, and maybe not better. We will see.

Any extension would certainly be “older and more expensive”, by the nature of extensions, and “maybe not better” since there’s no way to know how good the replacement would be.

 

[n1997y]

He said that for THIS year. Not for next year. You're under the impression that will be the mantra every year going forward. Why?

It’s a general principle.

But there are tradeoffs among those three dimensions, younger cheaper and better, so maybe to get one you compromise another. Better is often not cheaper, for one. And younger may mean there’s no experience to judge better or not.