Breakthrough likely in deal talks between Buffalo Bills and wide receiver Stevie Johnson-NFL News
A recent round of ‘productive’ talks between Buffalo Bills’ management and wide receiver, Stevie Johnson’s agent, CJ LaBoy, has led to an increased optimism about the player’s stay at the side for more seasons in the future.
Bills have a couple of weeks before the National Football League (NFL) trade deadline of March 13, 2012 to offer the receiver a new contract.
After the deadline, the player is set to become an unrestricted free agency and thereby prone to signing by any other side from the NFL.
Amid silence of the team about the player’s future, speculations hit the market last week that the receiver was increasingly becoming a possibility for the free agency.
Now with the confirmation of talks by both parties, an acceptable solution is likely to be found out unless the talks collapse halfway through.
In that case, it will be certain for Johnson to become a free agent and explore opportunities of joining any other team.
Another way for Bills to prevent the player from becoming free agency despite collapse of the talks will be to assign him the franchise tag.
The franchise tag deadline is March 05, 2012, and the team can retain the player if the tag price is not matched by any other potential suitor.
Apparently, both sides have expressed their respective optimism about success of the discussion between them, and in that case all other scenarios are less likely to appear on the table.
Bills’ general manager, Buddy Nix, said:
"We're still talking. It's an ongoing thing. As long as there's communication, you've got a chance."
At the same time, the team’s assistant GM, Doug Whaley, has not ruled out exercising the option of franchise tagging despite the player’s reluctance.
Whaley said:
"There's a possibility that may happen. But right now we're focused on getting a long term deal accomplished because the tag would be a short term fix, and we're trying to build this team to be competitive over the long haul."
The news of the talks between the two parties has rather come as surprise for many football commentators given the prevalent atmosphere of stalemate since exchange of their respective offers few days back.
A section of the media quoted an anonymous source, privy to the developments saying that the sides were far from meeting each other on the issue.
It was being considered that the phase of impasse might lead the player to explore an alternative destination for the future.
With the confirmation of the breakthrough, now he has the chance of getting a revised contract from Bills, which might fulfil his demands of better benefits.
None of the reports around the issue have touched the subject of player’s demand in the expected new deal from his team, and how much the team has offered to be flexible in acceptance of it.
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