Bills still have offer on table for Shanahan

With the Redskins and one other team pursuing Mike Shanahan to become the next head coach of franchises that currently have one, the only team without a non-interim head coach continues to be interested in retaining his services.

We’re told that the Bills still have an offer on the table for Shanahan, even if he has no interest in accepting it.

The Bills have been rebuffed by Mike Holmgren, Bill Cowher, and Jon Gruden.  But that doesn’t mean Shanahan was the fourth choice.  Instead, the Bills apparently went after multiple coaches simultaneously in the hopes of generating serious interest from at least one of them.

In Buffalo, money could be one of the issues that has kept the team from attracting a big name.  When it comes to Shanahan, Denver’s right to a dollar-for-dollar offset of the $7 million he’s owed in 2010 and $7 million in 2011 means that Shanahan needs to be paid more than $7 million by his new team in order to make working worth his while.

Really, if the choices are to receive $14 million to sit in his 35,000-square foot mansion over the next two years or $14 million to jump back into the every-waking-moment grind of being an NFL head coach, it’d be hard to pick door No. 2.

11 responses to “Bills still have offer on table for Shanahan

  1. I’m betting he’s going pretty stir crazy by now. Coaches of that caliber never like to sit around doing nothing for too long.

  2. Sorry, but would it not be smarter for a team to hire Shanny, give him a contract of at least 3 years and then “postpone” the money from 2010 and 2011 to the years past that. Example:
    2010: 1$, Broncos pay 7 Mio $
    2011: 2$, Broncod pay 7 Mio $
    2012: 21 Mio (7 Mio for 2012 plus the money saved in 10/11)
    Bills pay: 21 Mio
    Shanny gets: 35 Mio.
    Other way, 10 Mio each from team
    Bills pay: 30 Mio
    Shanny gets: 30 Mio.
    ???

  3. I’m sure having a great leader like the WR Owens who has never dropped a pass in his life makes the job even more attractive. I mean everyone knows the idiot will always behave the first year and any incoming coach gets the second year.
    I’d bet they’ll have to settle for quality of the Mangini/Cable level.
    How many games did Owens help the Bills win this year? Yeah, a real game changer if you ask the scouts.

  4. Hey, my name’s Mike and I’ll take the job for half that.
    Alternately, T.O. could take a pay cut to help pay Shanny.

  5. No reputable coach is going to take a job with a team that faces as much future uncertainty as the Bills.

  6. Signing a coach like Shanahan makes certain of a future in Buffalo. He’ll attract sponsors, fans and season ticket holders/sponsorship money. The biggest problem with the Bills is how inconsistent they are with their front office. A signing of this magnitude anchors the staff.
    If I am Shanahan i relish the thought of being in an organization like Buffalo. If you can succeed in Buffalo you can suceed anywhere. With that said, it might be scary to think you take two steps forward by signing with a team, only to fail, and only be seen as an Offensive Coordinator. HOWEVER i sit back and collect the dough from my previous contract.
    If Shanahan gets itchy he can start his game planning and scouting now. Call it probono but when it comes time to actually start getting paid ask for a few extra mil a year.
    Too bad for Buffalo, all they can attract it seems are Coordinators trying to strike it big, gutsy but naive. Head coaches worth a damn I guess want the spot light of a Washington or Dallas.
    PS people are fascinated by TO that’s why you hire him. No WR is a game changer, look at Moss, no rings, not a game changer. He brought down the caliber of the pats, what would you call their stature in the league since signing him?

  7. Will Shanahan really turn the bills around? Lets face it they need a Qb, a slot Wr, at least 2 NFL proven O-lineman, an outside linebacker, and a run stoping defensive tackle. I know everyone in Buffalo wants a big name guy like Shanahan, but bottom line is they need to fill those roles before there a playoff contender. (I really hope they don’t draft another saftey or corner in the first 3 rounds this year)

  8. Hey Florio do you think complied with the Rooney Rule? Maybe should check on that.Considering the wasted effort you are applying to whether the Redskins did or not.

  9. I wish I could give THE answer of Shanahan being able to make the Bills a contender. Unfortunatelyit all starts with a front office and I don’t know if Ralph can afford anyone good there and on the field. I also don’t know what players think. Do they need a proven coach? Do they WANT a proven coach? I don’t know. Every guy is different. Not all are head cases, which makes me think I am and I am reading into this too much for my own good. I don’t think you need a guy like Shanahan, no name guys gotta start somewhere, like Fewell. Shanahan just has a glamour factor. He can attract prime time tv spots as well as sponsor $ and ticket $. He might also be abelt to attract solid players from around the league who like him by reputation. Who knows. Who was Marv before he was Marv Levy? Sometimes long shots pay off big. Bill Polian would know what to do.

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