The offseason is the time for all things speculative, and the Buffalo Bills have been at the center of a great deal of speculation thus far in 2017. Most of that speculation centers on their quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, and whether the team will choose to exercise an option in his contract that will guarantee him some significant cash for at least the next two seasons.
Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus posted his ranking of targets for quarterback-needy teams, and Taylor is right at the top of the list.
“The Bills structured Taylor’s contract in such a way that there is a significant financial incentive not to keep him, because they have to hand him over $25 million in cash if he remains with Buffalo for the 2017 season," writes Monson. He also says that Taylor is worth the annual average value of the contract ($16 million/season), but he thinks there is a “decent chance” that the Bills move on from their incumbent signal caller in 2017.
Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News noted that none of the top three quarterbacks on Monson’s list (Taylor, Tony Romo, and Jimmy Garoppolo, respectively) are technically available at the moment. His thinking is that it would take a significant trade asset (i.e., a high draft pick) to pry Garoppolo from the New England Patriots, and it may even take a trade to acquire Romo from the Dallas Cowboys.
Romo also comes with the question marks of durability and age, while Garoppolo comes with the unknown of inexperience. Taylor seems to be the best of the known quantities, and with his recent groin surgery seeming to be a non-issue for the 2017 season, the only remaining question is whether he’ll remain in Buffalo or be shown the door. If he remains, it’s one less hole to fill on a roster that stands to lose multiple players to free agency. If he goes, it seems as if he’ll have little trouble finding work for next season.
Hopefully, we’ll all have an answer sooner rather than later.