The New York Jets could consider making a run at Tyrod Taylor if the Buffalo Bills decide to release the veteran in the coming days.
With Ryan Fitzpatrick not coming back after an abysmal season, the Jets are in desperate need of help at the quarterback position. The free agent market is so thin at the moment that Mike Glennon is expected to get somewhere in the range of $14 million annually, and Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that the Jets are unwilling to pay that. But would they pay it for Taylor?
According to Mehta, the belief within the Jets organization is that 2016 second-round draft pick Christian Hackenberg “isn’t even close to competing for the starting job” this offseason. Team sources also feel Bryce Petty is more suited to be a backup, so there is a sense of urgency. New York could address its glaring hole at quarterback in the draft, but having a rookie start in his first NFL season is almost always asking for trouble.
Enter Taylor, who is a dual-threat quarterback that has proven he can win games at the NFL level, though his record as a starter is a mediocre 14-14. Still, the 27-year-old is a far better option than anything New York currently has, and new Jets offensive coordinator John Morton is prepared to adapt to any system Todd Bowles needs him to.
“We don’t have a West Coast offense,” Bowles said recently. “We’ll have an offense that works. If the West Coast works, we’ll run it. If the long ball works, we’ll do it. If the running game works, we’ll run it. John’s very good to adapting to what we have.”
The Bills have until March 11 to decide if they want to pick up Taylor’s option and guarantee him more than $30 million over the next two seasons. They are reportedly leaning toward letting him walk, and the Jets are not the only team that will be interested in signing him.
