There has already been movement on the quarterback front among teams eager to solve the puzzle that is the most important position on the field. The Buffalo Bills could be one of the next moves. Tyrod Taylor, who has compiled a 23-21 record in three years as starting quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, seems to have worn out his welcome in Western New York and could either be traded or released before he is due a $6 million roster bonus on the third day of the league year.
The Kansas City Chiefs made the first splash when they announced that Alex Smith will be shipped to our nation’s capital and will sign a four-year, $94 million contract ($71 million guaranteed) from the Washington Redskins. That trade will be official when the new league year begins March 14.
There are a slew of veteran quarterbacks on the free agent and trade markets, from Kirk Cousins, Drew Brees, Case Keenum, and Nick Foles to A.J. McCarron, Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Bradford, Josh McCown, and Ryan Fitzpatrick that teams can spend freely on to solve their quarterback dilemmas.
Among the top quarterback prospects in the upcoming NFL draft are Sam Darnold (USC), Josh Rosen (UCLA), Josh Allen (Wyoming), Lamar Jackson (Louisville), Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma), and Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma St.).
Esteemed reporter Peter King speculated on the upcoming quarterback-centered moves for 2018 during a recent Monday Morning Quarterback column. Before he gets to predicting the Bills (spoiler alert), King has Cousins going to the Denver Broncos, Brees re-signing with the New Orleans Saints, Taylor winding up with the AFC East rival Miami Dolphins, McCarron heading west to Arizona, Bradford going to the woebegone Cleveland Browns, and the Bills trading with the Broncos to jump up and draft a rookie signal-caller.
Here’s what King had to say about Buffalo’s role in the rotating quarterback carousel, which, in his eyes, will see four veteran quarterbacks land with new teams in 2018:
Buffalo: Josh Rosen.
“The musical chairs are getting scarce. This could be a McCarron, Keenum, or Bradford spot too. If Denver gets Cousins, I could see Elway dealing his one (fifth overall) for Buffalo’s two first-round picks (21, 22) and another high pick this year or next—I could see Tampa Bay, Chicago, Oakland and San Francisco at seven through 10 in round one doing the same—to allow Buffalo to jump up and get a good quarterback prospect.”
While he predicts that Keenum will stay with Minnesota, King isn’t 100 percent confident in that prognostication, stating, “Keenum will likely be more inclined to go somewhere with no summer competition for the starting job (Buffalo?), but he also knows his team intimately here, and he knows (or should know) how he’d flourish under new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo.”
King’s offseason game of musical chairs at quarterback also has Foles, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, staying with the Philadelphia Eagles, and Jacoby Brissett remaining with the Indianapolis Colts.
Among the rookie quarterback class, King sees the Browns drafting Darnold and signing Bradford, the New York Jets tabbing Mayfield to go with McCown, the New York Giants drafting Josh Allen, the Jacksonville Jaguars drafting Rudolph, and the Baltimore Ravens drafting Jackson.