Doug Whaley among general managers under pressure in 2016, according to Sports Illustrated

A few days ago, Sports Illustrated's Don Banks listed eight general managers he pegged as being under pressure for the 2016 season. One of those men was Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley. Here's what Banks had to say:

Buffalo’s 8–8 record in Rex Ryan’s first season as head coach was disappointing but good enough to secure the status quo in Whaley’s case. While the three-year contract extension given to Whaley in January now means both he and Ryan are locked up through 2019, there’s still a distinct sense of urgency with the Bills shackled to that odious NFL-worst 16-year playoff drought. Whaley has his share of success stories in the draft and with the rest of the roster—with some glaring exceptions—but until Buffalo finally gets over the hump and returns to relevancy, his job security will continue to be a question that won’t go away.

It seems like Whaley has been under fire seemingly from the moment he took over for Buddy Nix after the 2013 NFL Draft. That draft, you may recall, is the one that saw the Bills take Florida State quarterback EJ Manuel in the first round, a decision that was largely derided at the time and hasn't looked much better in hindsight.

Whaley signed a three-year extension in January, a move that temporarily quelled rumors of Terry and Kim Pegula firing him or letting him walk at the end of his contract. There has also been smoke around a potential fire behind the scenes with regards to his relationship with head coach Rex Ryan as well as the bizarre situation involving the release of Fred Jackson, where Whaley was accused of "going rogue" by cutting the popular veteran.

Banks, for the most part, focuses on the fact that the Bills haven't made the playoffs in 16 seasons, a stretch that obviously includes Whaley's entire tenure with the team. While there are plenty of other reasons to be skeptical of Whaley's chances to stick around, that is in and of itself enough to make him a possible casualty if the Bills go another season without a playoff appearance.