Buffalo Bills Urged To Not Pay Tyrod Taylor

Tyrod Taylor was a pleasant surprise for the Buffalo Bills in 2015, but does that mean they should be prepared to pay him before he slips away?

There is no doubt his discovery helped the Bills avoid a losing record. He was 8-6 as a starter last season and was one of their biggest playmakers on offense. All told he threw for over 3,000 yards, ran for 568 and accounted for 24 touchdowns while throwing just six interceptions. It was enough to earn him a nod to the Pro Bowl. Quite the accomplishment for a young player who’d spent the first four seasons of his career as a backup in Baltimore.

At age 27 he’s in his prime and has a chance to build on what he accomplished provided his receivers can stay healthy while the offensive line provides adequate blocking. The problem is 2017 will be a contract year and there are already expectations that the team should start thinking about a long-term deal. It’s a question of price and whether the Bills feel he’s really their answer at the position. Thus there has been little progress.

Adam Schein of NFL.com believes the team is right to wait on that front.

"“Going to stay consistent here. I’ve applauded the Bills for not giving Taylor a new deal this offseason. They shouldn’t do it now.Taylor was pretty good last year, but he’s hardly a sure thing. Does anyone really think he’s entrenched as the Bills’ franchise signal caller? Didn’t think so. And with Rex Ryan on the hot seat — and quite possibly done if (when) the Bills miss the playoffs — why would you sign your quarterback to a long-term deal if you don’t know who the coach is going to be?”"

There are plenty of valid reasons to at least hold off on doing anything with Tyrod Taylor. The Buffalo Bills know they have him under contract for another year. They know he has minimal leverage and that Cardale Jones is waiting in the wings to take over the job if given the opportunity. Thus 2016 has become the real “prove it” season for him. If he can show a capacity to duplicate or even exceed what he did a year ago, then there is no doubt the franchise will open the coffers to give him his money.