The Buffalo Bills have one month to decide if they want to pick up Tyrod Taylor’s option and guarantee him another $30 million. In an ideal world, Taylor would agree to restructure his contract to make it more team-friendly. Unfortunately for the team, that sounds highly unlikely.
Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News reports that Taylor is “unwilling” to agree to a contract restructure that would reduce his salary. The quarterback and his agent are said to be convinced that another team would sign Taylor to a deal worth as much as the six-year, $92 million contract he agreed to with the Bills last offseason, if not more.
And they’re probably right. Taylor’s average annual salary of $18 million is right in line with what NFL starting quarterbacks make. While he had a slightly down year in 2016, he has thrown 37 touchdown passes compared to just 12 interceptions over the past two seasons. He’s a true dual-threat quarterback who has shown he can be effective when healthy and with the right pieces around him.
For comparison, Brock Osweiler’s average annual salary with the Houston Texans is $18 million. Taylor, just 27, would almost certainly be able to get that type of deal from a desperate team like the Cleveland Browns or possibly New York Jets.
The only other options for the Bills are to try to turn 2016 fourth-round pick Cardale Jones into a starter or draft a quarterback. Either would mean Buffalo is looking at a complete rebuild.
Some of the drama that unfolded toward the end of the season led many to believe Taylor was on borrowed time with the Bills, but he still may be their best option going forward.
