Peters, Bills aren’t close to new contract
Published: March 13, 2009, 7:11 am
Story tools:
Share this story:
The Buffalo Bills and Jason Peters still are a long way apart in negotiations on a new contract.
Peters and the Bills, in fact, may be more than $3 million-a-year apart on their offers toward a long-term contract, league sources have told The News.
There still is plenty of time for the two sides to negotiate, if both sides are committed to getting a deal done. However, the fact last year’s talks went nowhere raises the prospect of another stalemate between the Bills and Peters.
The NFL Draft is six weeks away. If the Bills are not closer to a deal as the draft approaches, they could opt to trade their most talented offensive lineman.
It’s believed Peters wants to be the highest-paid left tackle in the NFL. Neither the Bills nor Peters’ agent, Eugene Parker, are commenting on negotiations. However, a source familiar with talks said Peters’ first offer was in excess of the $11.5 million-a-year deal signed by Miami’s Jake Long, who was the first pick in the draft last year. Long’s deal was for five years and $57.5 million.
It’s expected the Bills would argue in negotiations that Long’s deal is not exactly relevant to Peters because No. 1 overall draft picks have different contract parameters based on what past top picks have received.
The top contract signed by a veteran left tackle went to Carolina’s Jordan Gross just three weeks ago. A week before he was about to become an unrestricted free agent, he signed a six-year contract worth about $60 million, with $30.5 million in the first three years of the deal.
Gross, 28, is a six-year veteran who made his first Pro Bowl last season. Peters, 27, is a five-year veteran and a three-year starter. He made his second straight Pro Bowl in 2008.
Peters’ play in 2008 did not equal his dominant performance in 2007. He sat out all of the Bills’ offseason workouts, training camp and preseason and reported to the team on the eve of the regular-season opener. Peters had a slow start to the year. However, he still was voted to the Pro Bowl, a sign of how highly he is regarded by opposing players and coaches. Peters, a 6-foot-4, 330- pounder, is widely viewed as one of the most talented young linemen in the NFL.
The next highest-paid veteran lineman behind Gross is Jets guard Alan Faneca, 32, who makes $8 million a year. The oldest star left tackle in the game, 35-year-old Walter Jones of Seattle, makes $7.5 million a year on an outdated contract, in terms of market value, that was signed in 2005.
The Bills’ opening offer to Peters is believed to be well below the Gross contract. Peters no doubt views himself as better than Gross, who played four of his years on the right side but switched to the left in 2008.
On the surface, Peters does not have as much leverage in negotiation as Gross, who was about to hit free agency. Peters still has two years left on his contract, which pays him an average of $4 million a year. That’s below the $5 million-a-year average the team pays right tackle Langston Walker. However, the fact Peters held out all last summer suggests he probably would be willing to do it again this summer, and that would be an unhappy situation for the Bills.
It’s rare for an elite left tackle to hit the trade market or the free-agent market, and it’s likely the Bills would be able to find some suitors for Peters willing to deal.
There already has been speculation that Philadelphia would be interested. The Eagles have a gaping hole at left tackle after losing veteran Tra Thomas to Jacksonville in free agency.
Philadelphia also is flush with trade ammunition. The Eagles have two No. 1 picks (Nos. 21 and 28), four fifth-rounders and a league-high 11 picks overall.
There are numerous other teams with a need at tackle, including Arizona, Seattle, St. Louis, Green Bay and Detroit.
There could be four or five offensive tackles taken in the first round of this year’s draft, and that’s probably where the Bills would have to find a replacement tackle, if Peters were dealt. The Bills would not necessarily have to find a left tackle. If a right tackle were the best one available they could try to shift Walker over to the left side.
mgaughan@buffnews.com
Reader comments
Log into MyBuffalo to post a comment
MyBuffalo is the new social network from Buffalo.com. Your MyBuffalo account lets you comment on and rate stories at buffalonews.com. You can also head over to mybuffalo.com to share your blog posts, stories, photos, and videos with the community. Join now or learn more.
Comments have been disabled.
Due to a high volume of submissions that violate The News’ guidelines, commenting is no longer available on this story. If you’d like to share your thoughts on this story, click here to get information on contributing to The News’ opinion pages.