As the Kansas City Chiefs prep to face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, messages of mistake have crossed the Buffalo Bills and their social media realm.
Many fans of the team questioned whether or not the club made a mistake in 2017. At that year’s draft, Buffalo drafted traded back with Kansas City from pick 10 to 27.
The Bills got an extra first-round pick, Tre’Davious White and more in the deal, but the Chiefs got Super Bowl bound Patritck Mahomes. Should Buffalo have just drafted the QB instead?
Those questions being raised were caught by White. He went on to used the word “ungratefulness” on his own social media account when he noticed it.
For the first time since his message, White, presumable from the Pro Bowl, finally spoke out on the subject. In an interview with The Athletic, White downplayed the whole thing.
“No, it don’t hurt my feelings,” White said.
The All-Pro corner also said he understands why the questions are being raised, realizing it’s not quite a personal attack, instead, just a “nature of the beast” as he referred to the modern day NFL’s high offensive outputs.
“It’s cool, though. I have to understand that’s just football. It’s just the position that I play and the era football is in now,” White said. “I don’t let that get to me.”
But the true worry for some observers of the team is the long-term effects of the conversation. Will White want out of Buffalo after his rookie contract because of the “ungratefulness”? It’s all good, he said.
“One or two or 10 or a thousand fans can’t speak for the whole Bills Mafia,” White said. “I know how I got to handle it. I just have to continue to work hard and have fun.”
“(Buffalo) a special place, man,” White later added. “The football is great. People treat us with some much respect and so much class. It’s a great place to be and play football. I tell people all the time it’s just like college all over again with the passion of the fans.”
That, in particular, is good news. White is entering the final year of his rookie contract, as are Dion Dawkins and Matt Milano. Those three are where the Bills struck gold at the 2017 NFL draft.
With near $90 million in salary cap space this offseason, some could expect the Bills to spend it on free agents. But not so fast, Buffalo has to lock up their own. The Bills might opt to re-sign Dawkins and Milano first, but they’ll eventually get to White, who could reset the entire cornerback market when and if the Bills do re-sign him. However, unlike the other two, the Bills have the fifth-year option on White’s rookie contact as a former first-round pick. Expect that to be activated by the team before a long-term deal comes about.
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