It’s a tough contract to hand out for any team, but the Kansas City Chiefs felt like it was the right move with quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
KC made Mahomes the highest-paid athlete in American sports a football player for the first time this week, inking their quarterback to a 10-year deal which could be worth up to $503 million. Seeing as it’s the first time a NFL player has signed the most lucrative deal in sports, it’s unlikely any other football player lands such a contract in the near future.
Let alone a player for the Buffalo Bills.
But hey, where’s the fun in that reality? So instead, let’s spice it up.
While unlikely… heck, while it’s certainly not going to happen, let’s have some fun and try and name a Bill or two that could be worth such a contract.
Here’s three players on the Bills that would be the most-likely candidates for a 10-year deal:
CB Tre’Davious White
Tre’Davious White is a great talent and finally got that national recognition he deserves in 2019. His first Pro Bowl nod went hand-in-hand with his first All-Pro selection. He’s now being praised all over the place for his skills. Looks like the Bills didn’t do so bad at the 2017 NFL Draft after all?
But even for the 25-year-old, a big case would need to be made for a 10-year deal. In doing so, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott’s defense actually plays a role here as well. In the current scheme the Bills run defensively, it relies heavily on zone coverage. When you think of the stud “lockdown cornerbacks” in the NFL, many of them get that title because their defenses were much more simple and relied on man coverage, and that makes sense. Putting your best player on their best player and saying try to beat us. But over time, those man-to-man guys usually lose a step.
Now that’s not to say that White can’t play both zone and man coverages. Actually, just this offseason, he was named a top-five zone corner… and a top-five man cornerback. He can do it all. But because of his prowess in zone coverage, he’ll always have some talents that won’t be beaten by the test of time, perhaps further justifying his skills over a lengthy period.
The Bills exercised the 2021 fifth-year option on CB Tre'Davious White.
Since 2006, White is the only player to lead the NFL in interceptions without allowing a single TD.
2019: 6 INTs, 2 forced fumbles, 4 tackles for loss
He just turned 25.
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— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) April 23, 2020