When a player of the caliber of Khalil Mack is rumored to be on the trade block, fans of the Buffalo Bills can only hope that the team is looking at the defensive star as an option. According to Jason LaConfora of CBS Sports, the Bills are one of several teams that have done their due diligence on Mack. Obviously this is plenty of speculation, but it will be interesting to see what eventually happens with Mack. Today’s links also includes plenty of updates on Logan Thomas, Josh Allen, Kyle Williams, Eric Wood and much more. Report: Bills have done their due diligence on Mack | WGR 550 SportsRadio Khalil Mack is still holding out with the Oakland Raiders Buffalo Bills tight end Logan Thomas using QB mindset to flourish and teach | NewYorkUpstate.com "Having a player like Thomas is a real asset for Daboll as he implements his offense in his first season." Will the Josh Allen era begin, and 6 more things to watch in Buffalo Bills' matchup vs. Bengals | NewYorkUpstate.com All eyes will be on Josh Allen's first start for the Buffalo Bills. NFL expert Greg Cosell praises Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen | NewYorkUpstate.com Josh Allen looked comfortable in his drops, sets and in his delivery vs. Cleveland Browns, Greg Cosell said. ‘The more you know, the more you’ll play’: Why the Bills trust Harrison Phillips to play multiple spots, fill in for Kyle Williams – The Athletic The rookie defensive lineman out of Stanford is a quick learner as he adjusts to the NFL and getting opportunities to show how versatile he can be. (Subscription required.) Can Josh Allen win the job on Sunday? - The Bills Beat with Joe B. and Matthew Fairburn Joe Buscaglia and Matthew Fairburn discuss all the different factors that go into Josh Allen's first start, if he can win the job on Sunday, and what that might mean for AJ McCarron. ‘This was not my choice’: How Eric Wood and the Bills are moving on after the unexpected injury that forced him out of football – The Athletic As his first NFL season as a retired player looms, the former Bills captain reflects on the whirlwind of life changes for him and his family since January. (Subscription required.) [BN] Blitz newsletter: After upgrades, Bills still waiting for run defense to shape up – The Buffalo News "Last seasons Buffalo Bills qualified for the playoffs despite owning a negative-57 point differential, the fifth-worst of any playoff team in NFL history." Why wide receiver Brandon Reilly is prepared to fight for a spot on the Bills final roster - BuffaloBills.com After missing last week’s game with an injury, Reilly is eager to prove his worth when the Bills take on Cincinnati this Sunday at New Era Field. Sean McDermott: "It Gets Right Back to Routine" - BuffaloBills.com Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott spoke to the media before practice on Friday, August 24th. Featured on Buffalo Rumblings What can Josh Allen do to secure the Buffalo Bills’ starting quarterback job? - Buffalo Rumblings What if the best answer to that question is "nothing"? Football Outsiders breaks down Buffalo Bills rookie QB Josh Allen - Buffalo Rumblings Continuing a theme, the organization doesn’t mince words: Allen will be a failure in the NFL Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals have plenty of connections including Cordy Glenn, Preston Brown - Buffalo Rumblings Both teams have a slew of players and coaches with ties to each organization Five Buffalo Bills positional battles to watch against the Cincinnati Bengals with Josh Allen, Ryan Groy - Buffalo Rumblings Some injuries and some movement on the depth chart could make for some intrigue this week<doc-sep>In terms of player transactions in free agency or trades, the NFL can be such a mind-numbingly boring league in major movements. Due to a variety of issues like front offices afraid to push boundaries, and precious continuity being extremely overvalued, blockbuster deals of legitimate superstars so rarely occur. As the saying goes, the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t. In the NFL, that’s to a fault. It’s different when the devil you don’t have any familiarity is so conclusively better than anything in your possession. When that devil is a special talent of the highest order, and the missing piece to a puzzle you’ve strung out on your dining room table for almost four years now. That devil is none other than Raiders terror, Khalil Mack, who after a consistently developing story throughout Friday, is on the trade block according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. That devil is a pass rusher the Bears would do their best to get to know in their uniform. When the summer started, Mack began a holdout as he entered the fifth-year option season of his rookie contract signed in 2014. The 27-year-old wants to be the highest paid defensive player in football, and the Raiders for the time being don’t want to compensate him in that fashion. No one on any side thought it would come to the generational talent actually becoming available. Where the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year with 40.5 sacks in four seasons would potentially see his services go elsewhere on the last weekend before the regular season. Deadlines can be pushed up dramatically. The NFL is entirely predictable at this point in it’s life span. A trade of Mack is then, incomprehensible. An acquisition of him by the Bears as one of three teams in the running, unfathomable. If general manager Ryan Pace truly believes his team to be on the cusp of contention, then under no circumstances can he let someone of Mack’s elite caliber slip through his fingers. Opportunities like this don’t come around often, if ever. Remember, this is the same old boring NFL. No one takes risks or gets this bold. The asking price for a trade of Mack from Oakland at this stage starts with two first-round picks, according to Pro Football Talk. Who, after the mega extension of Rams bowling Aaron Donald, will now likely seek at least $23 million per season and $90 guaranteed on a new contract as the highest-paid defensive player in football. That’s a stiff price to pay for a pass rusher like Mack that doesn’t touch the ball every play, try as he might. A daring game of negotiations that would mean your franchise was all-in on the short term for a Super Bowl or two - yes a Super Bowl - while worrying about coming issues later after emptying the resources cupboard. Never mind the fact that you’re not guaranteed a Super Bowl. The thing is, though, the only other NFL rostered player worth more than that money to compete is the quarterback. The guys who “secure the bag” are those who throw the ball, and those who hit those who throw the ball. In an ever-evolving passing league, it’s the only dynamic and counter-opposite relationship that matters. It’s the Yin and Yang every team wants and needs on offense and defense to climb the mountain. And it’s a prime position the Bears are in where they can take advantage while their offensive face in Mitchell Trubisky is at his cheapest on his own rookie contract. For the next four years, the depressed salary of Trubisky’s deal is the ideal asset the Bears have in their hand aside from their rostered players. It’s flexibility afforded from the game’s best position - provided Trubisky pans out as planned, of course - that’s tailor-made for outside-the-box moves such as a trade of Mack. That goes for any trade for any superstar in a hypothetical where the Bears can more than fit it into their financial books, especially as the NFL salary continues to rise exponentially every March. It’s a delicate balance men like Pace have to strike with young quarterbacks, but one that’s well worth it if properly put to ample use. Now is not the time to play for the future for these Bears. Now is not the time to dilly-dally and consider every pitfall in a fit of hesitation, as another team swoops in. A legitimate future Hall of Fame defender in Mack is available. You don’t ask questions in the most unique of circumstances in a league where most teams perennially hold their cards close to the vest for no sensible reason. Mack plays the one position Chicago is inarguably incredibly thin with on the defensive edge, and the only major dire need over the next few seasons. The one position Pace needs to finish his full-on roster rebuild. Yes, if you were wondering, the Bears roster is largely finished for the short term. If the Bears are going to compete and be a relevant contender soon, this is the team they’re going to battle with. It’s going to take Trubisky becoming a competent quarterback and more, but the Bears have their chess pieces of weapons like Allen Robinson and Tarik Cohen, and men up front such as Cody Whitehair and Charles Leno after an aggressive 2018 off-season. They have their head coach in Matt Nagy to keep Trubisky and the offense on schedule. Of course, they have their defense set in almost every spot too, and with a coach in Vic Fangio that knows how to maximize them. That defense is only complete, unfortunately, aside from a gaping pass rush sinkhole only Mack could appropriately fill. Which is why in combination with Trubisky’s affordability for awhile, the Bears should gather every draft asset and financial resource they feel comfortable in departing with to lock in a player of Mack’s aptitude. In fact, they should venture far outside of their comfort zone to seal the deal. If that means not drafting until the fourth round in 2019, so be it. If that means parting with multiple first round picks, so be it. The future and what those picks and some salary cap flexibility represent is undoubtedly nice. They’re not nearly even close to the same value of the now, and accomplishing your ultimate goal - fighting for and or winning a championship - in the present. As Herm Edwards would emphatically say, “You play to win the game.” You don’t play for the future, continually pushing responsibilities off. You play to win the game. The future is an ideal we’re obsessed with in sports. It’s why people keep coming back: sports franchises sell the future as hope, and that’s what gets people into their stadium’s seats. So they patiently wait, and wait, and wait for that payoff. They wait some more. The future is the plan, and if you’re the Bears you can’t possibly veer away from the plan once that’s been all you’ve previously sold. Going into Year 4, Pace has sold that future and promise for the Bears for quite some time. His modus operandi has been sustained success in looking to keep the future continually promising. It’s been about putting off entire seasons for the greater long term good down the line. A noble cause, and a worthy thought process provided there’s that mentioned eventual payoff. The time for that payoff has arrived. The future is here for the Bears, and it’s face must be Mack. If Pace and company have any tricks left up their sleeves, they’d do well to make sure the devil in Mack they don’t know in the least, soon becomes the one they do. Robert is an editor, writer, and producer for Windy City Gridiron, The Rock River Times, The Athletic Chicago, and a host of other fine publications. You can follow him on Twitter @RobertZeglinski and reach him by email at robertpoduski@gmail.com.<doc-sep>Khalil Mack has been one of the NFL’s most dominant defensive forces of the last few years, and a bright spot on an Oakland Raiders defense that has struggled. So the idea that Oakland may trade away the 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year once sounded too ridiculous to be true. But that’s changing. Reports started coming in Friday as teams made their roster cuts that the Raiders were indeed getting serious offers for Mack, and that a trade might really happen. By Saturday morning, news broke that the Raiders and Bears reached a deal to trade Mack. The Bears dealt two first-round picks and more to the Raiders to get Mack. Here’s all the info on the trade. On Thursday, a new report offered some insight into the situation between the Raiders and Mack. Several teams have asked and even thrown out some preliminary offers to no avail. Most believe that the Raiders don’t really have an interest in dealing the pass rusher, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. If they did, it would take a premium offer to pry him loose from Oakland, potentially a pair of first-round picks. Is that realistic? Let’s take a look. Mack is a 27-year-old cornerstone the Raiders should be building around for years to come. But with the 2018 regular season around the corner, the team expects to begin the year without Mack due to a contract holdout that has no end in sight. The linebacker is entering the final season of the contract he received when he was drafted No. 5 overall in 2014. Under the fifth-year option of the deal, Mack is set to make $13.846 million in 2018, but he’s aiming for much more. Football Therapy: 2018 NFL season preview SB Nation’s stats expert Bill Connelly crunched the numbers to explain how your favorite NFL team can improve this year. Check out our season preview for a complete guide to the 2018 season. Mack is reportedly targeting a contract that pays him “in excess of $65 million” guaranteed. The record for guaranteed money for a defensive player still belongs to Ndamukong Suh, who received just shy of $60 million from the Dolphins in 2015, but Mack wants to top that with a number that only quarterbacks have ever received. His holdout has coincided with one for Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald. The 2017 Defensive Player of the Year is reportedly close to a contract that’d pay him $80 million guaranteed and $22 million per year. Mack would likely want a similar amount. That’s evidently too rich for the Raiders, because they haven’t seemed interested in making any progress on a new contract for Mack. With the star out of action, and no sign that a new deal is on the way, the situation has devolved into a “pay him or trade him” conversation, according to Yahoo. If the Raiders lose faith that a new contract with Mack will get done, they may decide they’re better off getting what compensation they find on the trade market. The New York Jets have already reportedly come calling with interest in the pass rusher, and Pro Football Talk says four teams have serious interest. But what would a trade for Mack look like if it actually happens? What could the Raiders get for Khalil Mack ? With 36.5 sacks in the last three seasons — second only to the Cardinals’ Chandler Jones — Mack is an elite player at a premium position. He’s also in the prime of his career and can probably be counted on to crank out double-digit sacks on an annual basis. The only major negative to trading for Mack is inheriting the Raiders’ problem: his contract. A team trading for Mack would likely want to know ahead of time that it’s getting a player who will sign a long-term deal and won’t jump at the chance to reach free agency in 2019. So to facilitate any kind of trade, the Raiders would likely need to allow Mack and his representatives to hunt for a trade partner on their own. And if a team that chooses to trade for Mack is able to sign the pass rusher to a deal, it means a significant portion of their salary cap will now be dedicated to the new addition. That’ll likely dissuade some teams, but there will still be others willing to pay big for a rare player. Earlier in August, CBS Sports’ Joel Corry reached out to former Eagles president and Browns CEO Joe Banner about the cost to acquire Mack: “I think the range is a 1, 3 and 7 on the low end to two 1s on the high end. A lot also depends on how high the 1 is. Maybe it’s a 1 and 2 if it’s fairly high, or two 1s if it’s lower,” said Banner. “Maybe a team would be smart to include a 1 with a quality player. Or a 1, a middle pick and a quality player. He (Mack) is as good or better than any of the players we have seen involved in these kind of trades.” In recent seasons, Sam Bradford, Brandin Cooks, and Jimmy Graham have been involved in trade packages that included first-round picks. But Mack’s an even better player and the Raiders will likely want more than just a first-rounder, especially if it comes from a team that’s a playoff contender. Which teams could be interested? Every franchise in the NFL would love to have a player of Mack’s caliber added to the roster, but there’s a slimmer list of teams ready to dish out a contract that potentially tops $20 million per year. Still, PFT’s report that four teams are seriously interested in Mack also says “as many as a dozen teams” have considered the trade. According to OddsShark, there are three clear favorites to make the deal happen: New York Jets The Jets invested heavily in the defensive line with four first-round picks in five years, picking Muhammad Wilkerson, Quinton Coples, Sheldon Richardson, and Leonard Williams between 2011 and 2015. Only Williams remains after the Jets cut Wilkerson and Coples, and traded away Richardson. That has left little talent in New York’s front seven. In 2017, the team’s leading pass rusher was Demario Davis, who finished with just five sacks and now, he too, is on another team. The team is in desperate need of pass-rushing help. In addition to reaching out to the Raiders about Mack, the Jets reportedly contacted the Jacksonville Jaguars about a possible trade for defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. New York is the league leader in cap space for the 2019 season, so it wouldn’t be difficult to get something done. The Jets are without a second-round pick due to a trade to draft Sam Darnold in April, though. But if the Raiders believe the Jets are doomed for another losing season, the value of their first-round pick could win over Oakland. As long as Aaron Rodgers is healthy, the Packers are always a contender. But the team’s once fearsome pass rush is starting to come upon hard times. Clay Matthews is now four years removed from his last double-digit sack season, and seventh-year defensive end Nick Perry still hasn’t played a 16-game season in his career. In 2017, the Packers finished below the league average in sacks for the first time since 2011 and made little moves to address the problem during the offseason. The hurdle is that the Packers aren’t loaded with cap space during the 2018 season and still need room for a contract extension for Aaron Rodgers, which is likely on the way soon. But the good news for Green Bay is that it has two 2019 first-round picks thanks to a trade with the Saints during the 2018 NFL Draft. The Packers have plenty of cap space in 2019 and beyond, so if they can find a way to do some clever maneuvering to clear room for both Rodgers and Mack to get gigantic deals, it’s a trade that’d make a contender even better.<doc-sep>
In case you’ve been living under a rock this summer, you might’ve missed learning that Oakland Raiders edge rusher Khalil Mack is currently working out in Buffalo, on an extended holdout from his team. The former UB Bull, who is the NCAA leader in tackles for loss and a two-time All-Pro linebacker, is due for $13.5 million this year. But Mack wants to sign a big-money, long-term deal, and the Raiders aren’t listening. For many Bills fans, Mack is “the one that got away” in the 2014 draft, and his amazing talent would benefit any team in the league. Is it realistic to think that the Bills could trade for Mack before the season begins? That’s a complicated question. Historical trade comparisons Good luck finding a foothold for trade negotiations on this one. Teams just don’t trade All-Pro players in their prime. Before we talk about why that is, let’s dig into the archives and find some examples of talented players moving teams. Keep in mind that we won’t consider quarterbacks in this group. Their trade market is completely out of whack - if Sam Bradford, who never made a Pro Bowl and missed 33 career games, could fetch a first round pick from the Minnesota Vikings, that justifies separating the group. Buccaneers trade 1st and conditional 3rd/4th round pick for CB Darrelle Revis Revis had been first-team All-Pro in 2009, 2010, and 2011, and was holding out for a better contract during part of the 2012 preseason. A torn ACL ended his 2012 season after two games. In the offseason, the Jets traded a 27-year-old Revis to Tampa Bay, where he signed a six-year, $96 million deal (and lasted one season in their zone defense). Eagles trade 1st and 4th round pick for OT Jason Peters Peters was a Pro Bowl selection in 2007 and 2008, but had held out in the 2008 preseason wanting a bigger contract. The Bills traded the 26-year-old Peters in the 2009 offseason to Philadelphia, which gave him the money he wanted. Dolphins trade two 2nd round picks for WR Brandon Marshall The 25-year-old Marshall was just coming off his second consecutive Pro Bowl appearance, but his friction with the coaching staff had led to a suspension at the end of his last season. The Broncos traded him to Miami, where he immediately signed a $47.5 million contract extension. Why star players rarely hit the trade market The NFL’s rules afford teams several methods to keep players under contract, and if a player’s an All-Pro, chances are the team wants to keep him under contract. The first point is obvious - if a player is under contract with a team, he can either play for them, or not play football at all. If a player’s in his prime, his contract is almost definitely slotted into the league’s standard pay structure - a five-year deal for first round picks, four years for other draft picks, and three years for undrafted free agents. When his contract’s over, he’s still not a “free agent” by the sense of the word. Teams can use a Restricted Free Agent tag on players who were signed to shorter rookie deals, slotting them into a salary which could only be circumvented if another team is willing to give up draft picks. Then there’s the franchise tag. Especially for non-quarterbacks, the franchise tag is the greatest tool a franchise can use to force a player to stick around. The tag can either be exclusive or non-exclusive (requiring a team to surrender multiple first round picks to sign a tagged player). The tag gives a strong single-year salary, but it’s based on the average salary of the best players at the position, and that rarely pays out for any position other than QB or DL. If tagged, a player has no choice but to sign the tag or hold out, and the tag can be applied in consecutive years (for the cost of an escalated salary). Let’s consider Mack, who entered the league at 23 years old. He’s slated to play his fifth season under a rookie deal at 27 years old if the Raiders don’t trade him. Then they can franchise tag him for two more seasons without a long term commitment.