It is no secret that Marcell Dareus wants to get paid, and there is no doubt he will get paid. The issue is how much the Buffalo Bill are willing to pony up for the All-Pro defensive tackle.
There have been some discussions on whether Dareus would get a deal similar to what Ndamukong Suh got with the Miami Dolphins, but it doesn’t look like Dareus will be pushing for a deal of that magnitude publicly.
Here are some details from ESPN:
“I’m not necessarily looking at Suh numbers,” Dareus told reporters after practice Saturday. “I just want to be treated right, just like every one of us.”
Dareus told The Buffalo News after the Bills’ preseason win Thursday night in Cleveland that the team was “making it hard” in negotiations and that he felt like the Bills “don’t really want me here.”
Asked by the newspaper whether he had a specific number in mind for his new deal, Dareus responded, “I’ll just say, ‘Thank you, Suh.'”
For right now, it looks like the two sides are playing a game of chicken, but there is no doubt in my mind that a deal will get struck between Dareus and the Bills.
He is far too valuable to the middle of that defense for a deal not to get done, and the Bills can still franchise tag him if necessary to buy some time.