The Bills tried to hire Bill Polian a year ago.
But after spurning them once, the Hall of Fame General Manager said he’s willing to help them in a consulting role, an offer he’s not extending to 31 other teams.
“Listen, I owe this franchise virtually everything I have in the National Football League,” Polian said, via Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. “A good reason why a yellow jacket’s on my shoulder is because of the Buffalo Bills. The bottom line is, I want this team to succeed.”
Polian turned down the offer to run the football operation a year ago, in part because he didn’t want to jeopardize his Hall of Fame candidacy. But he also wasn’t sure about how he fit in such a role.
He still talks to owner Terry Pegula regularly, and said their last conversation centered on the future of the quarterback position. He thinks the Bills need to punt EJ Manuel, cutting bait on a first-round mistake, and consider the possibility of drafting a long-term answer there. He said he was fine with Tyrod Taylor as the starter for now, as long as they fix the offensive line and find a complement to wide receiver Sammy Watkins.
“You can win with Tyrod if the other pieces are good,” Polian said. “If there are six or seven Pro Bowlers at other positions, you can win with Tyrod. But he’s not the quarterback of the future. He’s not Jim Kelly, and, although he doesn’t have the same track record, he’s probably comparable to Frank Reich. But he’s not 6-feet-4 like Frank Reich. He’s small and he’s going to get hurt, and he did.
“Now, you have to find his backup and the quarterback of the future.”
They also might need a G.M. of the future, if Doug Whaley ends up on the outs. And no matter who they hire, that person would have access to Polian, if he wanted.