The Buffalo Bills are reportedly not exactly feeling warm and fuzzy about how contract talks with offensive guard Richie Incognito are progressing along. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio is reporting the team is “getting frustrated” with the fact that Incognitio isn’t satisfied with what the team is offering:
“Per a league source with knowledge of the situation, the Bills think Incognito should give the team that gave him a second chance a break, accepting less than perhaps what he could get elsewhere. The Bills are getting frustrated, we’re told, with Incognito’s refusal to take what they’ll give him.”
It’s easy to see both sides of this argument.
Buffalo gave Incognito a second chance last year, signing him when many other teams wouldn’t touch him in the wake of his bullying scandal against fellow offensive lineman, Jonathan Martin, when both were playing with the Miami Dolphins.
With that in mind, the Bills apparently believe they deserve a bit more loyalty from Incognito than what he’s showing right now.
On the other side, Incognito is coming off a stellar campaign — both on and off the field — in which he established himself as one of the NFL’s premier offensive guards.
He knows that he’ll likely make a killing in the open market. Many teams around the league are suffering because they lack quality offensive linemen, who seem to be a dying breed these days.
If any player is going to receive the franchise tag this year in Buffalo, it’s going to be Incognito’s teammate on the offensive line, offensive tackle Cordy Glenn.
This means we could see some interesting action starting on March 7 when teams can officially negotiate contracts with free agents during the legal tampering period. It also means Incognito could very well be playing with another team in 2016.