Tyrod Taylor - Pro Football Rumors

Staff Notes: Bills, Saints, Jags, Broncos, Jets

January 20th, 2017 at 3:17pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Bills’ hiring of offensive coordinator Rick Dennison on Thursday is “very good news” for quarterback Tyrod Taylor, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com said Friday on NFL Network (via Kevin Patra of NFL.com). While it previously appeared Taylor was on the outs in Buffalo, which faces a March 11 deadline to retain him for a guaranteed $30.75MM, it would “make no sense” for the team to change QBs after landing Dennison, per Rapoport. Dennison worked as Taylor’s position coach with the Ravens in 2014 and then served as the O-coordinator in Denver, which made a push to sign Taylor in free agency before he headed to the Bills in March 2015. With Dennison now in Buffalo, Rapoport expects the Bills to continue with Taylor, though he notes that they could first restructure his contract.

More coaching-related updates:

Ex-49ers head coach Jim Tomsula interviewed for the Saints’ open defensive line coach job earlier this week, multiple sources told Sporting News’ Alex Marvez. Tomsula was only at the helm in San Francisco for one year, a five-win 2015, but he was a successful D-line coach with the franchise from 2007-14.
Former Jaguars great Keenan McCardell will interview to become their wide receivers coach, according to Hays Carlyon of 1010XL. McCardell most recently coached the Redskins’ receivers from 2014-15, but he’s best known for his illustrious career as an NFL wideout from 1992-2007. Most of McCardell’s success came in Jacksonville, where he hauled in 499 passes and 30 touchdowns between 1996-2001. All told, McCardell combined for 883 catches and 63 scores with five teams.
The Broncos are set to name Geep Chryst their tight ends coach, reports Marvez (Twitter link). Chryst is familiar with Denver’s offensive coordinator, Mike McCoy, as the two were together in Carolina from 2006-08. His highest-profile work came as San Francisco’s offensive coordinator in 2015 (under the aforementioned Tomsula).
The Jets have hired Robert Nunn as their defensive line coach, tweets Marvez. Nunn previously held the same position in Cleveland, which fired him Tuesday.
The Bills have tabbed Andrew Dees as their assistant offensive line coach, writes Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk. Dees also handled that role with the Bills in 2012 before serving on the Chargers’ staff from 2013-15. In his second stint in Buffalo, he’ll work under newly hired O-line coach Juan Castillo.
Dees is replacing Tony Sparano Jr., whom the Jaguars have hired as their assistant O-line coach, relays Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link).

Bills Intend To Move On From Tyrod Taylor

January 6th, 2017 at 9:37am CST by Zachary Links

No surprise here, but the Bills are getting ready to bring the Tyrod Taylor era to a close. The Bills will not pick up the $15.5MM option bonus in his contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com writes.

Buffalo has until March 11 to exercise the clause, but it sounds like their minds are already made up. Picking up the option would guarantee Taylor $30.75MM over the life of the contract and tie him to Buffalo for the next five seasons. Buffalo, as expected, is unwilling to make that commitment.

The Bills made their feelings for Taylor crystal clear when they benched him in the season finale. Had Taylor taken the field and gotten seriously injured, Buffalo would have been stuck with his multi-year deal. Keeping him off the field also gave the team a chance to take another look at EJ Manuel, a favorite of GM Doug Whaley.

Still, as we learned this week, there is one scenario in which the Bills could still be stuck with Taylor’s hefty contract.

Bills Could Be Stuck With Tyrod Taylor’s Salary

January 5th, 2017 at 11:11am CST by Zachary Links

Tyrod Taylor is having sports hernia surgery today and his medical situation could complicate things for Buffalo this offseason. It seems unlikely that the Bills will want to move ahead with Taylor’s contract, which would call for $27.5MM in salary for 2017. However, if the Bills cut him while he’s injured, the union would argue that he’s entitled to his pay for next season, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets.

The Bills must wait until Taylor is healthy before cutting him and it’s not a given if he’ll be healthy by March 12th, when his $15.5MM option bonus is due (link). Once that option bonus is paid, Taylor’s $12MM base salary also becomes fully guaranteed. All in all, that adds up to $27.5MM for a quarterback that Doug Whaley & Co. do not necessarily want.

We don’t know for sure that the Bills will decline their pricey option on Taylor, but all signs have been pointing to a divorce for the last month or so. The ouster of Rex Ryan, Taylor’s biggest advocate, was the first indication that there would be a shakeup under center. Shortly after Ryan’s firing, Whaley favorite EJ Manuel was named as the team’s starter for Week 17. Then, this morning, the team released an oddly-phrased statement regarding Taylor’s operation that seemed to point at some major discord between the two sides [emphasis ours]:

“Taylor had a consultation visit yesterday with Dr. William Meyers and elected to have surgery this morning,” the statement read. “The Bills were informed late yesterday of this morning’s procedure.”

Tyrod Taylor Could Need Core Muscle Surgery

December 29th, 2016 at 9:51pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor‘s previously reported groin injury could be serious enough to require core muscle surgery, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Taylor will visit Dr. William Myers in Philadelphia after the season ends to determine whether to go under the knife. If he does, recovery time would likely be in the six-week range (link via Austin Knoblauch of NFL.com).

Citing business reasons, the Bills decided Tuesday that they’ll sit Taylor for Sunday’s season finale against the Jets. If Taylor were to play and suffer a severe injury, Buffalo wouldn’t be able to escape the $30.75MM in guarantees remaining on his contract. Taylor’s current issue is unlikely pose a problem for the Bills, per Rapoport, who notes that the 27-year-old should be able to pass a physical by the March 9 deadline for the team to walk away from his contract.

Even if the Bills do opt out of the extension they awarded Taylor last August, the two sides could still work out a different deal during the offseason. Taylor said Thursday he isn’t looking to leave the Bills despite having to cede the starting role to EJ Manuel on Sunday. Manuel was a first-round pick in 2013, but his ineffectiveness over the first couple years of his career helped lead the Bills to sign Taylor as a free agent in March 2015.

During his two years in Buffalo, Taylor has started in all 29 of his appearances, completed 62.6 percent of passes and thrown 37 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. The former Baltimore backup has been a bigger weapon on the ground, having rushed for 1,148 yards (5.8 per carry) and 11 scores with the Bills, and should be able parlay his dual-threat abilities into a No. 1 role somewhere in 2017.

Tyrod Taylor Not Looking To Leave Bills

December 29th, 2016 at 1:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Tyrod Taylor will be benched for the Bills’ season finale in an effort to protect him from injury and protect the team from being saddled with his guaranteed salary for 2017. It doesn’t seem like Taylor is too pleased about what is going on in Buffalo, but he tells Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (on Twitter) that he isn’t looking to leave the team in the wake of the surprising decision.

The Bills effectively hold an option on Taylor that would kickstart a new five-year deal worth more than $80MM. Now that advocate Rex Ryan has been fired and E.J. Manuel is starting ahead of him, it seems unlikely the Bills will exercise that clause. Still, in theory, Taylor could circle back to the Bills for a lesser deal. GM Doug Whaley may have other things in mind, but Taylor wants to keep all options open.

Meanwhile, for the past month, Taylor has been fighting through a severe groin injury that could need more attention in the offseason (Twitter link). If that means surgery for Taylor, that will be a situation to watch as he heads towards free agency.

Bills To Bench Tyrod Taylor In Final Game

December 27th, 2016 at 11:16am CST by Zachary Links

Rex Ryan is out and the quarterback that he championed could also be a goner in Buffalo. The Bills are planning to bench Tyrod Taylor against the Jets on Sunday in favor of E.J. Manuel, league sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Facebook link). This is a business decision so the Bills are not at risk for the $30.75MM left on his contract that would become guaranteed if Taylor suffered a significant injury, Schefter adds.

The Bills are on high alert after watching Marcus Mariota and Derek Carr suffer major injuries in Week 16. The Bills are not going to take any chances with Taylor, a player who may not be in their plans for 2017. It’s not certain that Taylor is out of the picture, but it would be understandable if the Bills do not want to retain him at his current salary. This will also give Buffalo a chance to get one last look at Manuel, a pending free agent.

Initially, the Bills planned to give Taylor the final month of the season to audition himself.

“He’s got four more games to write this chapter. Then after this season, like everybody on the team, we’re going to do an evaluation and then we’ll go from there,” Whaley said on Dec. 9 in an interview where he declined to commit to Taylor for 2017.

It is somewhat surprising that rookie Cardale Jones will not be given the opportunity in Week 17. The Ohio State product may be No. 2 on the depth chart, however, if the team is truly intent on protecting Taylor from injury.

Bills To Stick With Tyrod Taylor For Week 15

December 12th, 2016 at 5:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tyrod Taylor will have at least one more week to attempt to convince Bills management he is capable of being the team’s long-term answer at quarterback. The Bills will start Taylor against the Browns, Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com tweets.

Categorizing Taylor as the player who gives the team the best chance to win, a conclusion he did not announce after the Bills’ loss to the Steelers on Sunday, Rex Ryan will continue to use Taylor as his starter, just as he has throughout his Buffalo tenure.

The 27-year-old quarterback is slightly off his 2015 pace, completing just more than 60 percent of his passes, with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. Last season, the run-centric signal-caller completed over 63 percent of his throws and paired his six picks (in 14 games) with 20 touchdown tosses. The Bills boast the second-worst passing offense in football at 183.5 yards per game, and Taylor’s passer rating sits at 85.6 — in the lower echelon of the league and nearly 15 points lower than his 2015 figure.

Last week, GM Doug Whaley did not give Taylor his full support for 2017, when the franchise has a seminal decision to make regarding his status. If the Bills were to pick up Taylor’s 2017 option, they’d be kickstarting a new five-year deal worth more than $80MM. Given the franchise’s issues at finding a consistent answer at quarterback since Drew Bledsoe‘s exit after 2005, moving on from Taylor might not be that simple. Although the former Ravens backup is averaging 6.2 yards per carry — higher than his 5.5 mark in 2015 — en route to 471 rushing yards and six TDs, his 2016 passing performance leaves much to be desired.

“He’s got four more games to write this chapter. Then after this season, like everybody on the team, we’re going to do an evaluation and then we’ll go from there,” Whaley said.

Buffalo has expiring-contract backup E.J. Manuel and developmental rookie Cardale Jones behind Taylor, who if given the opportunity to keep the team’s quarterbacking reins through the end of the season will face the Browns, Dolphins and Jets.

AFC East Notes: Rex, Taylor, Stills, Williams

December 11th, 2016 at 6:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a resurgence in October and November, the Bills again are dealing with turmoil. A report earlier today placed Rex Ryan‘s job in jeopardy, with CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora saying the second-year Buffalo coach could be fired as soon as Monday if the Steelers easily handled the Bills.

Today’s 27-20 home defeat probably doesn’t quite qualify as such — Le’Veon Bell‘s 238 rushing yards that doubled as the most ever ceded by a Bills team notwithstanding — but Ryan fielded plenty of questions about his job status postgame. Predictably, the embattled coach said he hasn’t had any conversations with ownership about his job status and that he remains unaware of potential tenuous nature of his position, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com notes. Ryan also said the narrow defeat to the Steelers should allow him to remain in his current position, Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).

Also addressing the issue of a potential schism between he and GM Doug Whaley, Ryan insists the two are indeed on the same page and committed to winning in western New York, per Rodak. The Bills dropped to 6-7 and are likely set to miss the playoffs for the 17th straight season, which remains the NFL’s longest postseason drought.

Here’s more from Buffalo and other locales in the AFC East.

Tyrod Taylor‘s stock is also plummeting after Whaley did not commit to him as the team’s surefire quarterback next season. Ryan told media “we’ll see” if Taylor will remain the starter in the Bills’ final three games, per Rodak. The organization is also not pressuring Ryan to play rookie Cardale Jones, via Rodak. Taylor sees the organization as still being behind him. By sticking with Taylor — who entered the day commanding the worst pass offense in the league — next season, the Bills would kickstart an $80MM+ contract that still stands as a wait-and-see-type deal as of this season.
The Dolphins managed to move to 8-5 and stand in reasonable position to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2008, although Ryan Tannehill‘s possible ACL tear obviously throws cold water on this, and the team wants to retain multiple members of its core. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes the team would like to extend Kiko Alonso, tight end Dion Sims, and potentially Kenny Stills after the season. Stills is the only member of the Dolphins’ receiving corps who is not under contract after the season. He caught six passes for 97 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinals today to bring his season total to over 600. Proving to be a solid fit for Adam Gase‘s offense, Stills unlikely to match the 931 yards he amassed in 2014 with the Saints but could approach it and command a nice payday. Miami also wants to extend Jarvis Landry, whose contract is up after the ’17 season.
Jackson estimates the Fins will possess more than $50MM in cap space if they cut Mario Williams and Koa Misi, as he expects them to. Cutting Williams would save the team $8.5MM, with a Misi release adding $4.2MM to that figure. These moves would cost less than $3MM in terms of dead money.
Now on the heels of leading the Jets to their fourth victory this season, Todd Bowles’ job is likely safe.

East Notes: Taylor, Cowboys, D-Jax

December 11th, 2016 at 9:38am CST by Rory Parks

We heard several days ago that Bills GM Doug Whaley was unwilling to commit to Tyrod Taylor as the team’s starting quarterback of the future until after the season, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that no talks regarding who will be the team’s 2017 quarterback have taken place. The Bills’ decision-makers appreciate that Taylor has just 26 career starts to his name, and they will evaluate his entire body of work–including the final four or more games of 2016–with that in mind.

If they decide Taylor is their man, the Bills could pick up his 2017 option, thereby kickstarting a new five-year, $80MM+ deal, or they could redo his contract to make it more palatable, which Rapoport believes is the more likely option. If Buffalo moves on, Rapoport expects the team to be active in the veteran quarterback market with a possible eye on Tony Romo. Jay Cutler and Colin Kaepernick also could be on the Bills’ radar.

Now for more from the league’s east divisions:

We learned last night that the Cowboys would be without return specialist Lucky Whitehead for tonight’s game against the Giants, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that Whitehead was indeed left home in Dallas for missing a team meeting, which has been a recurring issue for him.
Even if the Cowboys reach a point in the regular season when they have nothing to play for, they do not plan to rest their starters, according to Rapoport. Dak Prescott would be a logical exception to that rule, though Tony Romo may not be the replacement if Prescott comes off the field. As Rapoport writes, Dallas would want to keep Romo safe in case Prescott should suffer an injury in the playoffs (Twitter links).
Despite recent reports that the Eagles will pursue Redskins wideout DeSean Jackson at season’s end, and despite reports that the interest is mutual, Jackson himself says that free agency is not on his mind at the moment, per John Keim of ESPN.com. Jackson said, “Who knows what happens in free agency? If I’m a free agent, I might seek some options and wherever it takes me, it takes me. It’s not my focus now. We have four games left here. Whatever happens, happens at the end of the season.”
Jets wideout Devin Smith is expected to finally get back on the field Sunday, and as Mark Cannizarro of the New York Post writes, the embattled former second-round pick is embracing a new beginning even in the midst of a lost season for the Jets. Smith said, “I just have to continue to [prepare] and we’ll see come Sunday. I’m going to continue to keep working hard and my chance is going to come.’’
We learned earlier today that Jets head coach Todd Bowles is expected to keep his job, but that Chan Gailey might not be so lucky, Nick Mangold may be considering retirement, and that Woody Johnson might not be the one in charge of the team’s day-to-day operations in 2017.

Bills GM Refuses To Commit To Tyrod Taylor

December 9th, 2016 at 11:32am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have a big decision to make at the quarterback position this offseason. When asked about whether the team will retain Tyrod Taylor for 2017, GM Doug Whaley told WGR 550 that no decision has been made (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak). He added that he will sit down with coaches and ownership after the season to make the call.

“He’s got four more games to write this chapter. Then after this season, like everybody on the team, we’re going to do an evaluation and then we’ll go from there,” Whaley said.

The Bills have a tough call to make. On one hand, quarterbacks aren’t easy to find. On the other hand, the Bills currently have the league’s worst passing offense. Taylor had a strong 2015, but keeping him beyond this year will mean kickstarting a new five-year, $80MM+ deal. If the contract is exercised, the Bills would be on the hook for a whopping $30.75MM fully guaranteed at signing.

All in all, Taylor’s deal was drawn up to be a team-friendly pact if he built on his trajectory from 2015. But, given that he has been up-and-down this year (and mostly down as of late), the decision has become much more complicated. Further muddling the situation is the questionable job security of Whaley and Rex Ryan. Whaley says that he will make the call with Ryan and the Pegula family, but the GM and coach may not be at the table if the Bills cannot qualify for the playoffs.

The Bills are now 6-6 after an ugly implosion against the Raiders. Buffalo likely has to run the table to get to the postseason and that means they’ll have to beat the Steelers on Sunday and the Dolphins on Dec. 24. On the plus side, their other two games come against the Browns (Dec. 18) and the Jets (Jan. 1).