Tyrod Taylor not willing to restructure his contract again to stay with Bills
Last offseason, it seemed all but assured that Tyrod Taylor and the Buffalo Bills would part ways. Taylor had been benched down the stretch of the season to keep him from getting injured so that the Bills would not have to guarantee his contract, and then the team hired a new head coach and general manager. Instead of being cast aside, though, Taylor and the Bills agreed to restructure his contract in order to keep him with the team.
That seems unlikely to happen again. The Bills can save nearly $10 million against the cap by cutting Taylor this offseason, and they can save $15 million by designating him a post-June 1 release, according to Spotrac. With the Bills likely wanting to get an extended look at Nathan Peterman next year, they likely don't want to keep Taylor on hand with a double-digit million dollar cap hit. So it's restructure or release. And Taylor is not willing to restructure again.
"Definitely not part of my mindset," Taylor said of restructuring his deal for the second time, per the Buffalo News. "I've done that before. I don't think there's a need to do that again. That's definitely not part of my mindset."
At this point, Taylor does not know what his future holds because the Bills haven't told him anything. But given that Sean McDermott attempted to move on from Taylor and make Peterman his starter with the Bills in the middle of a playoff race this season, it doesn't seem like the team is too committed to Taylor as the QB of the future.
"I really haven't had any communications as to what's the plan moving forward," Taylor said. "I'm sure that it'll be communicated to me at some point, but as of right now, I'm going to continue to focus on myself mentally, physically, and get ready for another season."
If Taylor hits the open market, he's sure to have no shortage of suitors. Teams like the Jets, Browns, Broncos, Cardinals, Giants, and potentially the Jaguars could all be interested in a veteran option either over the long-term or as a stop-gap to hold down the job while a draft pick learns from the sideline. Even though it's a strong quarterback draft, all of those teams could still be looking for a starter, and Taylor will likely be considered the second-best option available behind Kirk Cousins, who Washington just replaced with Alex Smith.