Tyrod Taylor: 5 best fits this offseason
The Buffalo Bills need to cultivate a quarterback, but there is a real chance they move on from Tyrod Taylor this offseason. Taylor, who turns 28 years old this August, might be on the market for the second time in his career, only two years after leaving the Baltimore Ravens for Buffalo.
With the Bills perhaps trying to save themselves from having to pay Taylor $27 million going forward as part of his $90 million extension, Buffalo could cut ties before the new league year begins in March. Should that be the case, here are five teams that could be real possibilities.
5. Chicago Bears
Chicago owns the third-overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and could take a quarterback there, but perhaps general manager Ryan Pace wants to go the veteran route. Chicago has approximately $54 million in cap space and that’s before it cuts Jay Cutler. Taylor could be a nice fit on a team trying to get better in a hurry, both to save fan’s sanity and the jobs of Pace and head coach John Fox.
4. New York Jets
The Jets are in desperate need of a quarterback and after making some easy cuts, should have a ton of cap space. So why so low on the list? Because of two factors. One, the team is terrible and going into a complete rebuild from the top down. Because of that, the Jets might want to go young, which feeds into our second point. Instead of signing Taylor, maybe general manager Mike Maccagnan rides with Christian Hackenberg, a second-round pick from 2016.
3. Arizona Cardinals
Arizona is a natural fit in a lot of ways. The Cardinals love to throw the ball deep and could use an athletic quarterback behind what is a mediocre offensive line. In addition, Carson Palmer is 37 years old and is coming off a bad season. Perhaps the fact that Arizona is a quality team would help Taylor to move out to the desert in search of both money and wins.
2. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have the makings of a Super Bowl roster, but Alex Smith is killing those dreams. Kansas City could cut Smith this offseason and save $9 million, among other easy cost-cutting solutions. General manager John Dorsey could see Taylor as the perfect fit. He’s got a great arm, perfect athleticism for Andy Reid’s system and has NFL experience. On Taylor’s end, he would love having Reid as a coach along with Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and Jeremy Maclin as weapons.
1. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are the top team on the list for a few reasons. They could outspend anybody but the Browns, and if Kyle Shanahan becomes the head coach, he’s an immediate draw for any quarterback. Shanahan might want to skip the rookies and go with Taylor, who immediately gives him stability at the quarterback position. While Taylor won’t be wowed by the talent in San Francisco, he might be wowed by the coach and dollars.
