Bills GM Brandon Beane not Pleased With Washington Commanders' Methods

He criticizes the team for pursuit of running back J.D. McKissic after deal was done.

Technically, the Washington Commanders and general manager Martin Mayhew violated no NFL rules by continuing to talk to running back J.D. McKissic after he reached a verbal agreement to sign with the Buffalo Bills.

Ethically? Bills general manager was clear that he didn't approve of their tactics to get McKissic to change his mind and re-sign with them, denying the Bills a player they believed would be a key component of their passing attack.

"That was tough," Beane said. "Obviously, he was a guy we targeted. "You know, in this business, in general, when you have an agreement, it's good. But until there’s ink on the paper, you know, his agents did a great job. Doug Hendrickson and C.J. LaBoy did a great job. There were some things that went down with the other organization, which is painful. But they chose to do what they did, and I couldn’t stop it.

“... I've had it before where the agent has agreed with you on something and then someone else calls and says, `Hey, what if I add $1 million? What if I do this, what if I guarantee this?' And the agent — once you have an agreement, the agent is supposed to say, `It’s over.’ And this agent did that. And this agent told the other club, `It’s over.' But the other club didn’t back off."

And that upset Beane, who wouldn't refer to the Commanders by name.

What likely was particularly galling is that Washington has people in the organization who worked with Beane when he was with the Carolina Panthers.

That includes head coach Ron Rivera.

McKissic is one of the finest pass-catching backs in the league, and the Bills had big plans for him.

Now, Beane confessed, their relationship with the Commanders is strained.

Heavy stuff from a brutally honest executive who has otherwise enjoyed a remarkably productive first few days of free agency, reshaping his defensive line with the help of star pass rusher Von Miller, and getting rid of some bloated contracts to clear the way for more moves.

Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.