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Less than a month after veteran defensive end Aaron Schobel contemplated retirement, he is now getting offers from many different teams.
Schobel was released from the Buffalo Bills last week after they grew tired of waiting on his decision.
Reports say that the Houston Texans are the favorites right now, but he is also gaining interest from New England and Seattle. Any three of these teams would be a great fit for Schobel.
His connection to Houston makes it the most likely landing spot, and even Seattle’s general manager admitted signing hime would be a long shot, stating on KIRO-AM, “He sounds like he is well on his way to Houston.”
Schobel sold his house in Buffalo and bought a new one in Houston, so signing with the Texans seems to be the most logical decision. He has said that he wants to spend more time with his family.
At age 32, Schobel talked about retirement towards the end of last season, remarking that football was not fun to him anymore. He also expressed frustration at the Bills’ struggle to make the playoffs.
Signing with Seattle would probably frustrate him even more, so look for him to sign with New England or Houston in the next few days.
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In a situation that bares some similarities to Brett Favre’s seasons ago with Green Bay, the Buffalo Bills have decided to release Aaron Schobel. Schobel was the team’s best pass rusher for the past seven seasons. He is second behind Bruce Smith in sacks for the franchise’s history.
Problem is, Schobel was thought to be just about retired, before stating that he may want to come back. With the Bills, a rebuilding team, needing every last roster spot, they could not wait any longer on Schobel. Releasing him gives him a chance to go elsewhere, something he seemed to have wanted anyway. This move has potential to have an impact on Bills betting this season.
Schobel is fairly young, at 32 years of age. The retirement talk first started with him before the start of last season. He expressed discontent with the Bills failure to make the playoffs, and stated that it sucked the fun out of football for him. He also cited a desire to be with his family.
When he sold his Buffalo area home and moved to Texas, the Bills thought it was a done deal. When Schobel said that he wanted to come back, but would not make a decision, the Bills could take the hint. NFL betting fans may see this as a negative sign for the Bills this season.
He does not want to be there, and they don’t need him in that situation. He is going to play this year, just a matter of where. The hot pick seems to be his hometown Texans. He would be a great asset to lineup on the other side of Mario Williams.
The Texans are a pick by many online betting enthusiasts to make the playoffs with their dangerous offense. If they are able to sign Schobel, it may push them over the top. He also has a relationship with their defensive coordinator. Schobel’s addition would be a solid cog on a defense that needs to improve to get Houston to where they want to be.
The Saints and Cowboys are talked of as other possible landing spots. New England seems to have the most pressing need for him, but Schobel wants to play in the South. Bottom line, an elite pass rusher has suddenly hit the market at the Bills expense. He is young and can still play. Whoever picks him up is a sure bet to get better.
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Will he or won’t he? That’s been the question for a certain player for a majority of the offseason up until this past week.
No, I’m not talking about Brett Favre. I’m talking about Aaron Schobel, who may as well be the “Brett Favre” of defensive ends over this NFL offseason.
Aaron Schobel said nearing the end of last season that he was considering retirement, which was a shock to some fans seeing as Schobel is only 32, likely exiting the prime of his career, but still young enough to play at a high level for a few more years.
However, when you look at Aaron Schobel’s career, you see a winning player on a losing team.
Drafted in 2001, Schobel’s stats over the past decade with the Bills mark him as one of the better pass rushers in the league, logging 78 sacks, 333 tackles, two interceptions, and 26 pass deflections in 133 games. Over Schobel’s career with Buffalo, however, he only saw one winning season in his career record with the Bills: 58-86.
Although many thought he had lost his game, Schobel came out with one of the better seasons of his career last season. He contributed 10 sacks, the fourth time he’s gotten to the double digits in sacks in his career. He also forced three fumbles. However, he finished with yet another losing season with the Bills.
One has to think that Schobel grew tired of losing all the time.
Never once was Schobel part of a playoff team, something that all players should aspire to do over the course of their NFL careers. Only once did he and Bills ever beat the Patriots over his nine year NFL career with the Bills.
Schobel has been holding back on his decision to come back and play this season for months now. Last week, he finally broke his silence and came out saying that he was leaning more towards playing this season. However, he told the Bills that he needed a little more time to make a decision.
Buddy Nix would not allow Schobel to make that decision on his team, though. The Bills went on record to say that they were officially moving on from Schobel as a team this past week, effectively ending Schobel’s career with the Bills.
In the wake of his decision, many thought that Schobel simply wanted a change of scenery. He probably wanted some place to win.
He’s going to get that chance, as the Bills announced today that they have released Aaron Schobel from the roster, making him a free agent to sign with any team. It is believed that the Bills sought out a trade with little interest, and had no choice but to release Schobel from the team.
Many see Schobel as one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise dull decade from the Buffalo Bills. There are some that consider him a Bills Wall of Fame candidate, as well. He is second all-time for the Bills in sacks, behind Bruce Smith. He was a contributor from the start of his career and to the finish of his career with Buffalo. He brought his game week in and week out. He was never the hardest worker when it comes to practice and training camp. He’s on record saying that he really doesn’t like it. However, Schobel knew what to do on Sundays.
Go after the quarterback.
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Another offseason, another Favre update.
So far, and it’s only been a matter of hours now, this Brett Favre “possible” retirement has gotten more attention than Armando Galarraga’s almost-perfect game in baseball, and is on the verge of challenging LeBron to Miami very soon.
Now that this is up for grabs for each and every ESPN writer and national writer for a variety of newspapers, here are nine stories that you will get pummeled with leading up to the start of the NFL regular season.
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It is expected that the Buffalo Bills will release DE/LB Aaron Schobel sometime this week.
Buffalo’s General Manager, Buddy Nix, commented on Schobel’s status today at Bills’ camp today: ”Aaron has been contemplating retirement for the past seven months, but we are at the point where we are moving forward and have informed his agent of our plans,”
Now, let the speculations begin: Could Schobel play in New England next season? I believe so.
Schobel would be a nice fit in New England, he’d fit New Englands’ system better than any other team.
One of the Patriots’ major weaknesses is their pass rush, and Schobel would help there tremendously.
Last season, Schobel racked up 10 sacks for the Bills. He could be a nice replacement in New England for Derrick Burgess, who is on the verge of retirement.
Only time will tell what Schobel will do. However, Schobel has been in the AFC East his whole career, and he knows what Patriots’ football is about. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind playing for a three-time Super Bowl champion team.
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