The Buffalo Bills were finally able to lock up their starting quarterback heading into the 2016 preseason, signing Tyrod Taylor to a reported six-year, $90-million contract Friday.
With a 14-game stretch last season representing a less than ideal sample size, the Bills could have justified having him play out the one year remaining on his deal and again proving his worth before discussing an extension.
But building upon his breakout season would have given Taylor all the leverage in unrestricted from agency. Confident in what they've seen, the Bills opted to bet on their guy.
"We looked at it as we have a quarterback now and I hate to say it, but (for) lack of a better term, we didn't want to be greedy," general manager Doug Whaley said during a media conference call, according to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News.
"We like working with Tyrod, we have faith in Tyrod, the coaching staff has faith in Tyrod, but most importantly, the team has faith in Tyrod and Tyrod has faith in himself. So we said, 'Let's go with what we have in hand,' and we're excited about the future."
Initial reports indicate that Taylor's new deal is littered with team options, giving Buffalo numerous opportunities to part ways and avoid future guarantees if his play drops off.
But as Whaley explains, there will be no reason to consider such a strategy if the 27-year-old continues to build on the flashes of brilliance he showed in his first season as a starter.
"We're confident it's a deal he's really excited about and we're excited about as well," Whaley said. "And it's a deal that can keep him with us for as long as he can keep performing at a high level and take us where we needed to go."
Taylor now heads into the 2016 season with both a year of starting experience under his belt and a full grasp of Buffalo's offensive playbook. The ability to beat defenses at all levels of the field through air, in addition to an ever-dangerous skill set he possesses as a ball-carrier, will give him every opportunity to lead a much-improved Bills offense this fall and beyond.
