The Buffalo Bills have a lot of things on their to-do list this offseason. Is re-signing cornerback Tre’Davious White among them? ESPN predicts yes.
In the outlet’s “bold predictions” for every NFL team this offseason, the worldwide leader pegs Buffalo re-signing the All-Pro:
The 2017 first-round pick also has a fifth-year option available, but since earning All-Pro honors in his third season, he has established himself as one of Buffalo’s franchise cornerstones. As one league source told ESPN, White is simply too good to have to prove himself again with the fifth-year option. Expect him to be one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league, if not the highest-paid, once his extension kicks in.
Signing White seems like a no-brainer decision for the Bills and general manager Brandon Beane. However, there’s plenty of factors in play here.
White’s entering a contract year, of sorts. As a former first-round pick, he has his fifth-year option attached to his deal. Don’t be surprised if the Bills activate that instead of getting White on a long-term deal first.
Would both sides like a long-term contract signed? Probably. But as things currently sit, the Bills really have little to lose in regard to White by flexing his option. He’s going to be one of the highest-paid cornerbacks already. No one is hoping for a regression, but the price tag is close to being set as one of the highest in the NFL.
So why wait? White has that option, his fellow draft class members in left tackle Dion Dawkins and linebacker Matt Milano do not. Both of those players aren’t All-Pro status as of now like White, but they are important members of the Bills already. So Beane might opt to tag White, re-sign those two or other pending free agents after 2020 such as veteran safety Jordan Poyer, then circle back around the White, even as early as training camp.
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