Marcell Dareus Frustrated With Bills’ Talks

A report yesterday indicated that contract extension discussions between the Bills and star defensive lineman Marcell Dareus had come to a standstill, and Dareus himself confirmed as much after last night’s win over the Browns. Speaking to Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News, Dareus took the negotiations public, expressing frustration with the process.

“They’re making it hard,” Dareus said. “And it’s just really making me unhappy. I feel like they don’t really want me here. … I feel like they don’t want me here as bad as I want to be here, as bad as the fans and my team wants me here. I feel like they’re saying, ‘Whatever. You come a dime a dozen.'”

According to Dunne, the Bills have offered Dareus a six-year extension worth more than $90MM, though it’s not clear what portion of that money would be guaranteed. It’s a per-year average of $15MM+, which would exceed Gerald McCoy‘s deal but falls short of contracts like those signed by J.J. Watt and especially Ndamukong Suh. Dareus appears to be using the latter player’s deal as a benchmark — asked if he had a specific figure in mind, the Bills’ Pro Bowler replied, “I’ll just say, ‘Thank you, Suh.'”

As Dunne observes, the Bills committed big money to a handful of players earlier this offseason, and have potential extensions for players like cornerback Stephon Gilmore, tackle Cordy Glenn and outside linebacker Nigel Bradham to consider. However, if the club isn’t careful, it could risk losing Dareus, or at least having to use its franchise tag on him in 2016. For now, he doesn’t appear willing to settle.

“They’re playing,” Dareus said. “It’s a contract game. They’re playing. They’re going back and forth. I play one game, they play this game. There’s not much I can really say. I know what I’m worth.”