Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor has a new contract with the team that reportedly tacks five years onto the one year left on his initial contract and could pay him $90 million or more if he plays out the entire deal.
The agreement came after months of talk on both sides about wanting to extend the working relationship, a desire that seemed to be hindered by the uncertainty that comes with Taylor having just one year as a starter under his belt. In a conference call after the deal was announced, General Manager Doug Whaley said that talks heated up in the last couple of weeks and that the Bills decided going with what they know about Taylor was preferable to waiting to see if someone else was available after the season.
“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,” Whaley said, via 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.”
The full details of the deal will show any outs the Bills have if they decide that Taylor isn’t the right person for the entire life of the contract, something Whaley hinted at by saying it is “a deal that can keep him with us for as long as he can keep performing at a high level.” At the moment, though, the G.M. says it is the “right time and right deal” for both sides.