5 free agent quarterbacks the Buffalo Bills could target this offseason

The Buffalo Bills are one of only a handful of teams that have a clear answer to who their starting quarterback is. After a breakout season in 2020, Josh Allen followed it up with another excellent year with over 4,400 passing yards and 42 total touchdowns in 2021.

The Bills made Allen one of the highest-paid players in the NFL prior to last season and ensured he would remain in Buffalo for the foreseeable future.

However, Josh Allen is the only quarterback currently under contract with Mitchell Trubisky set to be a free agent, Davis Webb already signing with the New York Giants and Jake Fromm being signed off the practice squad by the Giants during the season last year.

While general manager Brandon Beane said he would want Trubisky back next season, he looks set to get a starting job with a new team this offseason. If the Bills can’t re-sign Trubisky, these are five quarterbacks that they could consider signing this offseason.

Buffalo Bills Free Agent Target: Ryan Fitzpatrick

This one seems pretty obvious based on the connections between the franchise and the quarterback. Ryan Fitzpatrick was the Buffalo Bills starting quarterback from 2009 to 2013 and would start 53 games over that stretch with 11,654 passing yards and 80 touchdowns to 64 interceptions.

Even though he has gone on to play for the Titans, Jets, Bucs, Dolphins, and Washington he clearly still enjoys Western New York as evident by him watching the Bills’ playoff game against the New England Patriots in the stands.

The biggest question for Fitzpatrick is whether he wants to continue his career. He will turn 40 years old during next season and is coming off a serious hip injury. If he does want to continue playing and his hip is healed, Fitzpatrick has shown he can step in at a moment’s notice and play well.

A veteran like Ryan Fitzpatrick could be an excellent option to backup Josh Allen.

Buffalo Bills Free Agent Target: Cam Newton

The next player is one that I don’t believe would necessarily be the right choice but I could understand why Buffalo would go in this direction. There are plenty of connections between Cam Newton and the Bills starting with head coach Sean McDermott, who was defensive coordinator for the first six years Newton was with the Panthers.

In addition, Bills’ new offensive coordinator, Ken Dorsey, was Newton’s quarterback coach at Carolina from 2013 to 2017. Buffalo also added Joe Brady to be their new quarterback coach, who was Newton’s offensive coordinator for roughly a month last year.

The biggest question with Cam Newton was whether or not he was willing to take a backup role. After this season, Newton certainly sounded like he was ready to do that according to Nick Carboni at WCNC.

Cam Newton has not had much on-field success the past few seasons but the familiarity with the coaching staff, particularly with Ken Dorsey, could be a great asset if Josh Allen was forced to ever miss time.

Buffalo Bills Free Agent Target: Jacoby Brissett

One of the more experienced backup quarterbacks in the NFL is Jacoby Brissett. This past season he was with the Miami Dolphins, where he started five games in place of an injured Tua Tagovailoa.

However, prior to that he spent four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and was the starter in two of those years. For his career, Brissett has 7,742 passing yards, 36 passing touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. He has shown to be a steady quarterback and one that does a relatively good job of protecting the football.

Compared to the other two quarterbacks listed, Brissett is younger at 29 years old and could be signed to a two or three-year deal. However, he still has experience as a starter that would be valuable to this offense.

Buffalo Bills Free Agent Target: Marcus Mariota

Marcus Mariota is likely in the same situation as Mitchell Trubisky in that he is a former first round pick who has spent some time as a backup and could be in line for another starting job in 2022. Mariota was drafted by the Tennessee Titans and struggled after a really good second season. In that year, he had 3,426 passing yards, 28 total touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

After his rookie contract was up with the Titans, he signed a two-year deal with the Raiders and has been the primary backup to Derek Carr. He has gotten on the field at different times but it has primarily been as a gadget player with a specific play in mind.

If Mariota doesn’t get a chance to earn a starting job, Buffalo should absolutely consider signing him as the backup. He is one of the more athletic quarterbacks in the NFL and could allow the coaching staff to keep in a lot of the running plays for Josh Allen.

Buffalo Bills Free Agent Target: Tim Boyle

The final quarterback the Buffalo Bills could consider replacing Mitchell Trubisky is Tim Boyle, who was previously with the Detroit Lions. He appeared in five games, starting three, last year and had 526 passing yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions.

Prior to joining the Lions, Boyle was a backup for Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay for two seasons.

Of the quarterbacks listed here, Boyle is by the far the biggest unknown and would certainly come with the greatest risk. Prior to the 2021 season, Boyle had thrown only four passes over two seasons with Green Bay.

However, the Bills would likely be able to sign him to the most modest contract. This would be a great selling point and help them in terms of their salary cap.

In 2018, his first season with the Green Bay Packers, Boyle was competing with Deshone Kizer and Brett Hundley but as Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette wrote, he had impressive arm strength and didn’t look anything like he did in college.

"But since arriving in Green Bay, Boyle has made those numbers look like they belong to a different quarterback. He’s calm in the pocket, a patient passer. Then there’s that big arm. Boyle torched the Tennessee Titans with it in the Packers’ preseason opener, finishing with 130 yards, two touchdowns and, most notably, no interceptions. His 52-yard touchdown strike to receiver Jake Kumerow down the left sideline left no doubt he’s strong enough to make all the throws."

If the Buffalo Bills miss out on some of the other veterans, a quarterback like Tim Boyle could make sense as the backup to Josh Allen next season.