Bills GM clarifies the one thing he refuses to do while leading the franchise
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane isn’t looking to mirror a rival’s strategy when it comes to roster building. The Bills’ season ended prematurely with Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Divisional Round. While Cincinnati has certainly built a perennial power, Beane isn’t willing to endure the struggles that contribute to drafting […]
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane isn’t looking to mirror a rival’s strategy when it comes to roster building.
The Bills’ season ended prematurely with Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Divisional Round. While Cincinnati has certainly built a perennial power, Beane isn’t willing to endure the struggles that contribute to drafting elite talents high in the first round.
Never Settle
On Wednesday, Beane was asked for his thoughts on the Bengals’ growth over the last two seasons.
“They have a good team. They, right now, are on the advantage of a rookie quarterback contract. They had some lean years and, without getting too much into their build, I don’t want to suck bad enough to have to get Ja’Marr Chase. He’s a heck of a talent, I’d love to have him, but you’ve gotta go through some lean years to do that.”
Beane noted that the Bengals have a unique advantage when it comes to the salary cap. Chase, along with Joe Burrow, are on their rookie deals, which allows Cincinnati to spend allocate its salary cap in other areas.
“Those guys are on their rookie deals. We’re paying Stefon Diggs a pretty hefty number, we’re paying Josh Allen a pretty hefty number. So, there is the constraints of the cap, but they have a really good team and they’ve got some good young players.”
Many people forget what it costs in order to land top talents in the draft on an annual basis. Cincinnati has had plenty of success recently, but they also won their first playoff game since 1990 just last season.
Beane has assembled one of, if not the most well-rounded roster in all of football. However, when the Bills bow out of the postseason prematurely, questions will naturally be raised.
Buffalo is at a crossroads this offseason and will have many key decisions to make on a handful of its unrestricted free agents. Beane will be under the spotlight as he leads the team into a pivotal 2023 offseason.
Featured image via Mark Konezny – USA TODAY Sports
