The Bills signed quarterback Tyrod Taylor to a contract that cries out “backup.” Now that he has swiped the starting job, the Bills can upgrade his pay whenever they choose to do so.
A league source has confirmed that nothing prevents giving Taylor a new contract now, even though he signed his current contract with the Bills earlier this year. There’s no indication that this will happen, but there are plenty of indications that maybe it should.
For starters, the new starter signed a three-year deal with a $400,000 signing bonus and a first-year salary of $750,000. So with more and more quarterbacks making more than $20 million per year, Taylor’s cap number currently falls below $900,000.
Then there’s the fact that the Bills dumped Matt Cassel and his $4.1 million salary before bringing him back at $2 million. It makes sense because he came in as the presumptive starter, and he finished as the backup.
It also makes sense take that $2 million and give it to the guy who won the job. While Taylor has plenty of other things to worry about as he prepares for his debut, it’s hard not to wonder whether Taylor is thinking about his compensation package -- and hearing about it from people close to him.