Heading into the 2018 season one of the biggest questions facing the Buffalo Bills is going to be what the team is going to do with Tyrod Taylor and the QB position. One of the things that will have to be factored into the decision is the amount of money that Bills will save should they move on from him.
Depending on who you talk too, that will determine what kind of take you receive when it comes to Tyrod Taylor. Some fans want the QB back in 2018 while others were down with him midway through the 2017 season. Given the financials surrounding Taylor, unless for some reason management loves Taylor, cutting him might simply be the best option.
According to Spotrac.com, the Buffalo Bills will have just over $31 million dollars to spend during the 2018 offseason. Couple that money with their draft picks and the Bills are in a prime spot to make some noise heading into next season.
The first hurdle when it comes to Taylor is going to be his his $6 million roster bonus. The bonus is due on the third league day of the year should he still be on the roster. One would have to assume that the roster bonus is in there as a tool to force Buffalo to make up their minds about Taylor early on in 2018. If Buffalo knows now that they most likely don’t want to keep Taylor, keeping him past the date the bonus is due is something they likely wouldn’t choose to do.
If the Bills were to cut Taylor prior to the third day of the league year they would save the $6 million by not having to pay the bonus. Additionally, cutting him prior to the bonus would also save them $10 million in what have been his 2018 salary. After factoring in the cap hit ($8.64 million) it would leave the Bills with a savings of $9.44 million for 2018. It’s also worth noting that the Bills would swing another $1 million their way if he were to be released and play with another team next season (and that team paid him at least $1 million). This $1 million has to do with his guaranteed money and that guaranteed money that he is still owed will be covered by his new team in 2018 if Buffalo lets him go.
Essentially, if Buffalo lets him go before paying the bonus and he plays next season with another team, it will be a savings of $10.44 million.
While the roster bonus is decent deadline to go off of, it might not be the end-all. Buffalo could always choose to pay him the bonus in order to keep him on the roster so that they have insurance at QB. Should Buffalo miss their target in free agency, the draft or via trade, they will still have Taylor on the roster. Of course if they elect to keep him and then acquire a QB they prefer over Taylor, they can always then try to trade him. At that point, trading him would be another team dealing with a $10 million contract and not a $16 million contract, it looks far more appealing.
Next: Five Free Agent QB Options For The Bills In 2018
Those of you who don’t want to see Taylor on the team next year should be happy to see that the numbers are on your side when it comes to the financials. Now, we just have to wait and see what the Bills decide to do.