Team-building becoming more complicated than ever

As teams consider how to build, adding the quarterback will always be central to the plans.

Bills general manager Brandon Beane’s another one of the fortunate ones, as he has quarterback Josh Allen under contract. Beane admitted that it makes everything easier in recruiting other players as well.

He laughed and recalled pass-rusher Von Miller telling him he couldn’t wait to play with the QB he calls “The Creature,” and Beane acknowledged that Miller wouldn’t have likely left the Super Bowl champions to come to Buffalo if not for Allen’s presence.

“Probably not,” Beane said with a shrug. “It definitely helps. People want to win, they want their fair compensation no matter what, but I think Von definitely indicated that was part of his process.

“I definitely think if you have a quarterback, if you have an upper-level quarterback, that will attract people. Also, the style of play. Our offense, as Josh has matured, has become more pass-first as opposed to run-first. So I do think some receivers or tight ends, they’re going, ‘Man, look how much they throw the ball, I’m going to get a lot of chances to play and contribute and help my value.'”

Becoming a destination isn’t always organic. And fewer and fewer teams are willing to wait.

Seeing the Rams celebrate a Super Bowl title while treating draft picks with disdain, and relying on trades for players such as Stafford and Miller has emboldened others.

“People realized you could win a Super Bowl without draft picks,” Harbaugh said. “The Rams kind of made that statement.”

And that raised the stakes, and the costs, and the complications.

“You’re seeing more, especially this year,” Reid said. “It’s been a little wild that way. I think it’s just that everybody knows they need a good quarterback.”

And plenty of teams are ready to do whatever it takes to get one — even if that means upending precedents and tipping the financial balance of a team to do so. The Panthers are still weighing their options, and trying to strike the right balance.