Rex Ryan has been fired and the Bills are benching Tyrod to avoid the injury clause in his contract. His future with the team will be determined by the new coach. https://www.google.com/amp/www.buffalorumblings.com/platform/amp/2016/12...
As we all know, Rex Ryan and tyrod have spent a majority of the season under a lot of scrutiny by the bills faithful. IMHO (in my hokie opinion) it has been unfair to pin the teams struggles on Tyrod, but a lot of Bills fans have felt otherwise. Hopefully his huge game against Miami will help him be a starter somewhere next year even if it's not with the Bills.
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Houston Texans on line one.
As a houston resident that would be pretty awesome... plus that division is so awful that he wouldn't need to get a wildcard spot
Houston resident here too. Ditto.
Ughhh I hate Houston. Pls no.
Send him to the Niners. He'd thrive under Chip.
No one is thriving under Chip in this reality.
Chicago Bears on Line 2, New York Jets on Line 3, Cleveland Browns on Line 4, Denver Broncos on Line 5, Jacksonville Jaguars on Line 6, Minnesota Vikings on Line 7 (Bridgewater is no guarantee to be back), San Francisco on Line 8, and Washington on Line 9
Unfortunately, there's a theme of really bad OL play throughout those teams, so not sure Tyrod has any really good options going into next year.
As a Vikings fan, I wouldn't dare put the evil of our offensive line on Tyrod until we get that figured out, no matter how badly I would love to watch Tyrod win games for the Vikings.
At least if you get your quarterback you can work on your offensive line in the draft.
You need an OL before you have a QB. You can have the most talented QB in the league, but stick him behind a shit OL and he's going to look downright pedestrian. Case in point: 2016 Carolina Panthers.
At least the Vikings are in good shape at just about every other position. You can burn your top three picks on the OL.
As a fellow Vikings fan I agree. Tyrod does not need to get beat up behind that line. But we need someone who can beat GB.
Wait... Are you saying teams with good lines tend to be good teams?
But, what about my shiny new WR/RB/QB???
Sincerely, a long, long suffering Washington fan.
As a Grudging Washington fan, I can't say anything (really) bad about our OL this past season. Callahan did wonders. Helps to have Williams and Schreff on the left side.
Yes we need major help on DL though.
Scherff is on the right side with Morgan Moses, Left Guard is probably the biggest weakness with Shaun Lauvao, who cant seem to stay healthy over the last two seasons, although Kouandjio did a pretty solid job backing him up when he missed a couple games. Real tip of the hat here goes to Nsekhe for doing a bang up job at Left Tackle when Williams was suspended for four games.
Yeah touche forgot he's on the other side of the line.
We have a good line this year. Not perfect by any means, but good enough to power the 3rd best offense in the league. Left guard is the only real weak spot (center is only passable as well), but the only line without obvious weaknesses is Dallas.
You can drop Washington off there if we are talking about having a bad offensive line. The Skins have only allowed 19 sacks this season, third fewest in the NFL while having the sixth most passing attempts in the league. Running wise the line is challenged but protecting a QB, they are one of the best at least this season, and that was with their Pro Bowl Left Tackle sitting out a four game suspension and numerous other injuries as well. The Skins are also 5-1-1 when the offensive coordinator commits to the running game and they go over 100 yards rushing.
On top of that, the Skins will either get a deal done with Cousins or Franchise Tag him, so they are unlikely to be looking for Tyrod's services.
Not talking about this year- hence the "long suffering fan" part. I'm too young to remember when Washington was winning superbowls, so I get to have 20 years of memories of Dan Snyder buying pretty toys at skill positions and ignoring the most important part of football.
In GMSM we trust
Amazing how an OL suddenly looks better when RG3 isn't making them look bad...
Agree, Cousins isn't going anywhere. I have no idea what the OP was talking about on that one.
My Redskins dont need a QB, we need a damn defense and a commitment to the running game.
I agree with the needing a defense statement. ESPN threw up an interesting stat in the Redskins MNF game against Carolina. It showed that the Skins have the second highest paid offense in the league and the third lowest paid defense in the league.
They have waaaaay too many holes on D. DL, LB, CB immediately come to mind.
Which means if they bolster the D, they'll likely have to give something up on O.
This is why is so hard to be better than average consistently in the NFL.
Letting Garcon walk since they'll have a healthy Doctson next season should free up some dough. They could even consider letting Jackson go, but I don't think they have another speedster on the roster to take the top of of a defense like he can.
The surprising thing is that if they do things right than they shouldnt have to give much up on offense to bolster the defense. Right now with Cousins counting $20mil, Garcon counting $10.2 and DJax counting $9.25 for this season the Redskins were at $146M as a team(salary cap was $155M for the NFL), including all dead monies, injured reserve, etc. Next season the salary cap is projected to rise to between $166M and $171M.
The Redskins before signing anyone for 2017, sit at $117M.
Figure Cousins eats $24M of that, bringing them to $141M. That leaves them around $25M to $31M to address free agents before any cuts are made.
I have seen reports that both Garcon and DJax are looking for about $7.5M each. I think the Redskins decide to keep one. Brings them to $148.5.
The only other free agents on the offense are Vernon Davis and Ty Nsekhe, who I see them bringing back for about $2M. Nsekhe will likely need a big bump over his $600K this year considering how well he did covering while Williams was suspended. $2.5M Now at $153M.
Defensive Free Agents that likely will be resigned. Chris Baker. $3M, possibly Junior Gallette, $2M
Special Teams, Nick Sundberg, $1M. $159M
Contracts I could see cut:
Sean Lavao, $5M($1M cap hit) - $155M,
Niles Paul, $2.3M($333K cap hit) - $153M
Matt Jones, $788K ($299K cap hit) - $152.5M
Deangelo Hall, $5M ($812K cap hit) - $148.4M
That leaves you about $20M -$25M to bolster the defensive side with only one of the two wide receivers not coming back.
All of these numbers are based off Sportrac's Team Salary information for the Skins.
Desean Jackson is about 10x better than even the average person who likes him realizes. If they let him go, they would be foolish.
I didn't say it couldn't be done, but it isn't easy.
One has to assume that most or all of the personnel decisions made with that money will work out both on the individual level and how the individual fits into the overall scheme. It also assumes that sum of the WRs wasn't better than the parts and losing one of the two wide receivers won't result in 2 weaker wide receivers.
Not sure it can get worse than Bills receiver corps and OL. They let pretty good guys go on both sides this season and are now paying for it. Well, I should say the coach and QB are paying for it. The a** kissing GM somehow sold the moron with the money that he should stay on. Good riddance. Buffalo gets what they deserve that crappy GM and a worse than Heather ESPN reporter.
The Bills are clearly allergic to winning or any semblance of success.
As a (very) long-suffering Bills fan, I have to shake my head at the truth of this. I've been reading over the past 1-2 weeks article after article that speaks to Buffalo's offensive output (and Tyrod's specifically) compared to franchise history, and the theme over and over is that offense (and QB specifically) is not the problem. Defense is.
A classic example of a fan base so desperate for change, that it clamors for change without an educated perspective. And management that can't accept a QB who doesn't fit the classic mold of an NFL QB, and misses out on the talented playmaker/leader they have simply to find one that fits the physical mold.
Really hope Tyrod finds a productive landing spot. I may have to become a fan.
How Buffalo hasn't run the GM (Whaley?) out of town is beyond me.
We're taking away the right to vote of all Bills fans. Straight can't clearly think.
He is a playmaker, and it's not just by my O&M glasses that I say that. Cian Fahey from Football Outsiders, who might be the most critical person on the planet towards QB's, feels the same way. His skill set is too great for a team not to attempt to build their offense around his talents. If it's the Bills, I hope they can put some better talent around him on the line and out wide. If it's somewhere else, I hope he goes somewhere that will build the offense around his talents. I think he can be a special player in the NFL, although you could argue he already is.
In a lot of ways I get why the Bills are doing what they're doing with Tyrod, it's kinda bs but I get it. Gotta imagine theres almost a 0% chance he's back there
He's def one of the 32 best QB's in the NFL. He has a spot as a starter somewhere.
Heck he's statistically one of the top 15 QB's in the league in many metrics over the past two years and we all know his elusiveness can be a game changer on any team, even a team as bad as Buffalo.
17th in passer rating among QB's with over 200 pass attempts.
9th in ESPN's QBR.
He'll have multiple offers if Buffalo lets him go.
He was not helped in a run first offense and the majority of skill players sitting on the benches healing.
Big Ben ain't getting any younger!
As a Steelers fan I would love this. I would purchase a jersey in a heartbeat. Need some new T-Mobile gear.
If they really are parting ways with Tyrod, I can't wait until they inevitably draft a Kaaya/Tribusky (sp?)/non-mobile type in the first round behind that offensive line and they get destroyed every game.
That would be hilarious. IMO Kaaya hasn't really grown much at all in his time at the U. Decision making is also shakey.
Let's be honest here, for all his faults Rex Ryan is a big part of the reason Tyrod is the starting quarterback for the Bills in the first place. I remember all the drama last year when the Bills' management clearly did not want to let their 1st round draft pick (Manuel) go to waste. Tyrod only really got the buy-in as the starter in 2015 after Manuel had a pitiful 4 turnover game against Jacksonville while Tyrod had a minor injury. On some level I suspect the Bills still think of Tyrod as a budget quarterback.
In spite of this I'm pretty hopeful for Tyrod's future. As others have already pointed out, he's got good numbers. There are plenty of teams in this league in which Tyrod would fit if he doesn't get the contract he wants next year.
They started TT at wide receiver in his first game last year just to avoid certain bonuses, expecting him to start going forward.
Tyrod would make 27.5 mil next year under his current contract
(http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000684170/article/tyrod-taylor-sign...)
12 base, 15.5 for the option. Without a coach and a "system" in place, it wouldn't be shocking to see the Bills cut him or try to restructure a bit. Either way, he should do well.
Edit: I just read what I was posting in the top portion of the article. I'm an idiot.
I could see the Denver Broncos winning another superbowl with Tyrod Taylor. Gary Kubiak is a big fan. His team already has a good defense, Kubiak just needs decent QB production which Taylor can deliver .
He knows the Kubiak system, and that offfense desperately needs a spark.
Tyrod knows how to win with a sub par offensive line, unimaginative play calling, and elite defense
John Elway actually wanted to Tyrod but Tyrod didn't think he would get a chance to play while Manning was there. With Paxton being there now, I don't know if Elway will take a chance on Tyrod again.
Paxton looked baaaaaad this year. He was known to be a project coming in, but he might need at least 2 or 3 more years before he's ready to be a starter.
It would be great to see tyrod at a winning franchise, but unfortunately I feel like Elway is invested emotionally in their current qb
I get the business decision of this, don't want to risk the big injury payout in a meaningless game. My hope is that this offseason Tyrod's contract is restructured (his performance doesn't warrant the big money he is slated to get, even though his performance was largely impacted by WR injuries, bad pass protection).
Restructure the deal, get some OL help, FIX THE DEFENSE, and hope the receivers stay healthy, Bills will be playoff bound next year.
like 90% of QB's performance doesn't warrant the big(ger in most cases) money they are slated to get each season. Tyrod would be far from even being one of the notable overpaid QB's.
I think the Bills are up in the air right now. Manuel is a FA. Jones makes very little. They can cut Tyrod with no cap hit. I think they'll sign a coach and then figure out whether they are drafting a QB, renegotiating with Tyrod, etc.
Tyrod is in position to either get big money from Buffalo for a year, or much more likely, get multi-year guaranteed money from Buffalo or someone else. Elite money? No. But a good contract with some reachable incentives, almost certainly.
I think that is right. I also think the way the Bills brass works and the public can't think for themselves; that the narrative is going to be rather nasty as they negotiate and leak simultaneously. Making the case for why they are cutting him because he can't and isn't the long term answer to getting back to the playoffs; all the while trying to get him signed up for a modest deal.
Hope TT only signs if he likes the new coach and the system. Not holding my breath. Who wants to head to Buffalo where the GM is absolutely going to be held responsible next, unless he can get the new coach fired in a year or two.
TT is going to land somewhere and the starting job will be his to lose. Period.
I hope you are right.
There are too many teams that need a starter and not many better than TT.
He may not end up in shangri-la, but he'll end up somewhere.
I hope that he's ok, but I'm so glad that karma is biting the Bills in the ass.
I don't want anything bad to happen...however
SUCK ON IT BILLS FRONT OFFICE!!!
A new twist, because I believe that any injury that would require surgery essentially would guarantee his $30.75M from the Bills. Their whole concept for not playing him this week was so he would avoid an injury that would guarantee the money. Just had to laugh, but I hope Tyrod is ok if this is legit.
That isn't worded very well. Are they saying he'll be recovered enough for a good landing spot or recovered enough to not get paid?
I didnt word it. The writer wrote it as if he would be recovered enough to still find work but ignored the injury clause in Tyrod's contract that essentially guaranteed the $30.75M that his contract calls for.
This isn't good - season highlights that exclude your starting QB. I hope Tyrod finds a better team next season.
Unbelievable amount of bullshit shade in that
Why would they include him in a 1min promo for a game he's not playing in?
If anything it might create confusion.
Exactly how do you plan to finish strong by sitting your starting QB?
I think its safe to say that Tyrods backups are not going to cut it for the Bills. Horrible stats for them today plus a pretty bad L
Maybe the Skins should go after Tyrod after all. Such a crappy game today for us.
Dear god no. I saw what they did to RG3.
RG3 was and is a terrible NFL QB.
I disagree. He isn't an "elite QB" (not that Tyrod has been so far either), but he showed earlier in his career that he had the potential to be successful in the NFL. When you have initial success for at least a season and then you don't, I tend to look towards other members of the organization for being the reason for sucking.
He had potential in a custom fit offense that after defenses had a chance to prepare for more than one season, were able to shut it down. That coupled with RG3's insistence that he was going to be a pocket quarterback only (essentially killing off the custom fit offense to your strengths), and his injury at the end of that successful season left him slower by far than before the injury so he did not have the ability to escape from NFL defenders like he had prior to his injury.
He also was a "terrible" pocket passer (by NFL standards) in terms of progressing through reads but being able to run covered alot of that up. All that said, he still is the best QB on the Browns at least this year. The Redskins werent a great team when he was with them but Kirk Cousins played far better with the same pieces than Griffin when each were being a pocket passer only. Griffin might be able to hold a clipboard on about 10 teams in this league and is starting for one of about three that I think he could start for. That said, it still makes him one of the top 40-45 QBs in the world right now if you look at it that way.
If you look at their last two games against San Diego and Pittsburgh, the Browns managed to convince RG3 to go to a sort of hybrid offense, using alot of roll outs and shifting the pocket to use his feet and give him sightlines that are open because he has trouble seeing over his lineman. They were relatively successful utilizing this hybrid offense, beating San Diego and then blowing a golden opportunity in OT against the Steelers.
To be fair, that same Steelers team was sitting their 3 biggest (by far) playmakers on offense. The Steelers really had nothing to play for (the 3 seed was guaranteed regardless of what happened around the country on Sunday), and the Browns were still only barely able to keep up with an offense led by Landry Jones, Eli Rogers, and Deangelo Williams.
I am aware that the Steelers didnt try on offense and it likely would have been a blowout if they had, still doesnt excuse the Browns blowing a chance at the Steelers two yard line, instead kicking a field goal from beyond the 20 because of all the yards they proceeded to lose in the next two plays. That said, the Steelers did play most of their defensive starters for most of the game and the Browns offense was working which was mainly my point.
How I imagine Tyrod hearing that idea:
Tyrod was #9 in the NFL based on QBR this year. That alone will keep some GM's looking at him.
He also had a winning record as a starter and the first Buffalo QB to do since since 2000. Although "technically" he is .500 because they started one game in wildcat with him at WR, to avoid paying him a bonus for starting the first game (I wish I was joking).
If that's the truth than he's better off being somewhere else. What a shitty thing to do as an organization just to save a buck
That whole organization is a clusterfuck from the top down. It doesn't surprise me that they are pinching pennies like this when you learn that not even the GM was involved in the hiring and firing of the coaches or involved with personnel decisions.
The Pegulas control everything, and they're the ones with the money. They're also the ones who have steadfastly refused to renovate an old and decrepit stadium that is in serious need of repair for a while. If I were a player, I'd do everything in my power to not play football in Buffalo while the Pegulas control the team.
They haven't been there long, and I know some people who think the world of them for the Sabers. The GM was there before them. They might just be getting their feet wet, they get another year or two grace period before I start yelling at the owners.
I have heard they are also trying to get a new stadium rather than renovate.
At first I was hoping for it but now I'm glad Ricky Jerret didn't choose Buffalo
Tyrod is having surgery. Heal up quick, 5.
Not too quick though, get that guaranteed money from the Bills.
i think March 11 is the magic $30M guaranteed date...
Yep, after the way they've done him, I would have maybe made a "business decision" and waited another week or so before surgery.
Wtf??
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18413003/buffalo-bills-say-qb-tyrod-t...
Buffalo trying to coach things in public so that they are able to cut Tyrod without paying him the money. They are trying to use the fact that Club physicians didnt dictate the surgery to mean they are not accountable for his next years salary.
at this point, Id just want to get as far away from Buffalo as possible. Dude is gonna get another shot. He was too good in a league needing a QB option. BTW Arizona may need another QB if Palmer hangs it up.
This is another in a long line of examples of why I will never, ever side with a team's ownership or the NFL on a matter against a player. There is always a way to weasel out of paying the players what they deserve/are promised/guaranteed.
You're missing the point, Chris. Tyrod is being selfish and not being a team player by having his contract play out as signed. He needs to forfeit this money so the owners can afford to keep the team afloat. They're only worth 4.6 billion dollars.
/s (no shit)
Buffalo's leaders are idiots. Had they cut him without the surgery and Taylor subsequently failed a physical, they'd absolutely owe him. They should have demanded he have surgery the day after they decided to bench him.
Their position on the whole thing is that they were completely unaware of him having a groin issue serious enough to require surgery. That said, he did meet with the doctor that did the surgery three days after it was announced he would not play because they were benching him. Would have looked really bad if they were the ones sending/demanding his surgery at that point. As it is, they are hoping he is evaluated completely healthy before the Option vetting date so the injury can be deemed no issue if they decide to cut him. If he isnt healthy by then, the money comes due, which is when we will likely see a fight between Buffalo and the NFLPA if Buffalo tries to weasel out of paying his guaranteed salary.
the first rumor of a groin injury was in mid-November when everyone, including Taylor, denied it.
https://buffalonews.com/2016/11/16/tyrod-taylor-shoots-report-groin-injury/
Yeah, I understand their approach, I just think it is the most risky. Why not get him healthy sooner than later? Claiming Taylor's surgery is frivolous doesn't seem to be a productive route...the team expert v. the surgeon...right on the heels of benching him due to concern for injury.
Their position on benching him though was that he didnt currently have an injury and the benching was to prevent him getting one between date announced and the end of the football season. Three days later Taylor took it upon himself to go see the surgeon. Either way they handle it, they are hoping that he is deemed healthy before the cut date so they dont owe him $30 million.
The surgery happened within a week and a half of the announcement so its not like they could have moved much faster than that, especially considering the time of year it is.
And you better believe every player and agent in the NFL is paying attention to what is happening. If Buffalo weasels their way out of paying this amount that is stipulated by the signed contract, they might as well give up hope in signing any big name free agent from here on out, unless there are ridiculous front end guaranteed signing bonuses.
double post