:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50076325/502111594.0.jpg)
Tyrod Taylor is going to get paid nine months from now by someone. His play in 2016 will determine if it’s a mega-deal or a smaller deal akin to a veteran backup, shot-in-the-dark starter. With this timeline, the folks at Pro Football Focus put Taylor at the head of the line of quarterbacks seeking a contract.
“However, if we’re looking for the one quarterback who deserves to be paid next, there really is only one clear choice, and that’s the Buffalo Bills’ Tyrod Taylor,” wrote Gordon McGuinness a week ago.
While several young guns are in line for contracts down the road, they also have multiple years left on their rookie deals, something you can’t say about Taylor. Kirk Cousins isn’t mentioned in the piece, but he has to be realistically in the conversation, as well. He won’t be able to sign a new contract until after the season as he plays out the franchise tag in 2016.
McGuinness expects an in-season contract agreement between Taylor and the Bills as the quarterback shows similar playmaking ability to his 2015 performance. It completely undercuts the narrative seemingly swirling around One Bills Drive, though. If the Bills have a winning record and Taylor is playing well, this makes sense. If the Bills are losing but Taylor is playing well, it would behoove Buffalo to wait if they are indeed planning on blowing up their front office and coaching staff. Does the next coach or general manager even like Taylor’s style?
For those reasons and more, an in-season extension for Taylor looks unlikely but not impossible. It will be interesting to see what happens with Cousins and Taylor after the season. It could be another strange year in free agency for the quarterback position.