Archives for January 6, 2017

'Presumably, Buffalo’s “brain trust” was smart to take out insurance on Taylor’s contract, but the way this franchise writes deals, you never know.'

'Lynn has 17 seasons of NFL coaching experience, beginning as a special teams assistant with the Broncos in 2000. He coached running backs for the Jaguars, Cowboys, Browns and Jets before Rex Ryan also gave him the title of assistant head coach in 2013. Lynn followed Ryan to the Bills in 2015, and he was promoted to offensive coordinator in Week Two after Greg Roman was fired. He served as the Bills' interim coach for the final game of the year after Ryan was fired.'

'"Hopefully it’s not as bad as they think it is," Taylor said.'

'The wording of the statement is interesting only because it suggests this was a decision Taylor made without consulting the Bills. By March, the Bills have to decide whether to pick up the option on Taylor's contract, which would carry with it more than $30 million in guaranteed money. The 2017 portion of the deal is guaranteed for injury, so if Taylor is unable to pass a physical by March 11, he would collect that money.'

'Safety: D-plus – Rex Ryan’s defense leans heavily on its secondary. Once Aaron Williams went down, things went from bad, to worse, for the Bills. While Williams isn’t an All-Pro safety by any stretch of the imagination, he’s much better than what was behind him.'

'The San Diego Chargers have also reportedly requested permission to interview McDermott.'

'If Taylor can’t pass a physical by March 3rd, the team is forced into picking up his $27.5 million option for the 2017 season. However, it’s believed that Taylor would be fully recovered from the surgery before that date.'

'In the span of about three weeks, Taylor has been benched, watched as his head coach was fired because of it, then it was revealed he’s actually hurt, and, finally, the 27-year-old quarterback was on the operating table undergoing groin surgery on Thursday, something which apparently came as a bit of a surprise to the Bills.'

'Instead, Football Terry looks to be just the kind of owner that Hockey Terry has not been.'

'Taylor previously said he intended to get a second medical opinion this week on the severity of the injury. He went 7-8 this season and was benched in Buffalo's 30-10 season-ending loss at the New York Jets last weekend.'

'If Taylor passes the physical, the Bills can elect not to exercise their option on Taylor and let him become a free agent. Buffalo would be hit with only a "dead money" hit of $2.853 million on its 2017 salary cap.'

'A source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter last week that Taylor is expected to be recovered from the surgery by March, the beginning of free agency.'

'"I want to be healthy because I want to get back and attack the offseason," Taylor said Monday. "As far as the guarantee in the contract, I want to get this surgery if that's what I need to get done — I want to get that out of the way. It's not about the guarantee."'

'Per the wording of his contract, if he is released before the third day of the league year, Taylor's $27.5 million bonus payment is guaranteed for injury "if he is unable to perform football services" in 2017. That is open for interpretation. The NFL management council could take the view that the wording in that contract means that as long as Taylor passes a physical and is able to play at some point in 2017, then that injury guarantee is voided. I spoke to several contract guys for NFL teams — not in Buffalo — who read it as such.'

'The Buffalo Bills benched Tyrod Taylor in Week 17 to prevent him from suffering an injury that could prevent him from passing his physical in March. If he were to fail it, more than $27 million would become guaranteed, putting the Bills in a difficult situation.'