Rasul Douglas caused social media unrest this offseason with his activity on Twitter/X. Around the start of the new league year, Douglas’ contract was restructured to free up approximately $2.5 million on the Bills’ cap sheet. Rasul sent multiple fan bases in a frenzy by then posting “Decisions decisions,” which many took to mean he was either contemplating an extension with the Bills or was potentially trying to work his way out of Buffalo amid their defensive overhaul.
This wild defensive rebuild makes it entirely plausible that they could see him as a trade-chip to help bring in some young talent via the draft. However, should the Bills decide to keep him as a veteran leader to ease through their transition, the price may be relatively manageable given the impact he brings.
For starters, although Douglas has been a top-level performer across his last three seasons, he doesn’t have the first-round pedigree required to hit the upper-echelons of the cornerback market. If there was any question as to whether a glass ceiling exists for Day Two (or Three) cornerbacks, look no further than the Jaylon Johnson contract, a relative bargain for a lockdown corner at $19 million APY.
Douglas has a takeaway ability that nearly rivals Trevon Diggs, while keeping his yards per coverage rep even lower than Jayon Johnson. He lacks the true shutdown season that Johnson displayed in 2023, but has remained remarkably consistent since signing with the Packers in 2021 and eventually being traded to the Bills at the 2023 deadline.
Were Douglas negotiating his first contract, he would have an excellent argument to be valued somewhere between Jaylon Johnson and Trevon Diggs. However, as this will be his 8th season and he will be turning 30, age will suppress his market and force him much closer to James Bradberry’s range.
Bradberry was excellent in his first year in Philadelphia, leading to a three year, $38 million extension. He had twice as many turnovers than his younger contemporaries in the three years prior to their extensions, and was a PBU monster, leading all of our comparables by a decent margin.
However, the age factor brings Bradberry’s APY closer to Jamel Dean’s than Johnson and Diggs, even though Bradberry doubled Dean’s interceptions and pass break-ups.
Douglas’ camp might argue he deserves a stronger valuation than Bradberry because of the additional four interceptions, but the extra 17 PBU’s, lower catch rate and lower yards allowed per coverage rep for Bradberry evens the playing field. Douglas will likely benefit from the added salary cap this year, as Bradberry’s 5.63% cap share in 2023 would set Douglas up at $14.39 million per year, which looks like a substantial raise over Dean and Bradberry.
Final Contract Projection: 3 years, $43,000,000 million - $25 million fully guaranteed
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