The NFL’s problem with NIL: this is what Buffalo Bills GM, Brandon Beane had to say

The Buffalo Bills haven’t shied away from diving into the free agent pool in the last couple of offseasons. Their GM Brandon Beane is at the heart and center of those transactions, and may prefer that way of building a team rather constructing a team through the draft.

Bills betting on free agents

Last year the Bills let a lot of their big name players go. Buffalo’s QB, Josh Allen saw his top targets deaprt Western New York before the start of last season, but that didn’t stop Buffalo’s gun slinger from winning the MVP with a cast of relatively unknowns.

This year they have landed some big names in the free agent market, as they look to break the Super Bowl bubble in Buffalo. They signed DE Joey Bosa, WR Joshua Palmer and DL Larry Ogunjobi.

Beane was on the Fitz and Whit podcast on Tuesday morning, and among other things, talked about the the nature of college football with the NIL rules in place. “We’re getting guys that are less and less developed because these guys are going from year to year from different schools due to this NIL,” said the Bills GM.

NFL’s problem with NIL

Beane took over as general manager of the Bills in 2017, before the NIL was even in consideration, but since then things have changed. “When you guys (Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitlock) came out, you were much more developed not only as players but as people….The society right now in college sports is ‘if you’re not playing me or paying me, I’m out’” said Beane in minute 45 of the podcast.

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The NIL was introduced to college athletics back in 2021, making student athletes eligible to make money off of their “name, image and likeness.” Since then college football has become more of a business than ever. Players let teams go through bidding wars before signing with a particular University, and then may stay there for only a year before moving on to the next school.

“We’re not teaching guys how to deal with adversity. Sometimes the biggest adversity these guys are facing is as rookies or second year players, cause quite frankly they have had their ass kissed for three or four straight years in college, and that’s not the way it works when they get here.”