The Buffalo Bills signed Tyrod Taylor to a reported six-year, $92-million extension Friday, signifying their belief that he'll be the franchise quarterback the team's sorely been lacking for two decades. By hedging the contract with escalators, the Bills took a smart, calculated risk on a player who's excelled in a small sample size.
The first two years of the deal are key to understanding its value for both Taylor and the Bills. Taylor will reportedly earn $9.5 million for the upcoming season, and his success - or lack thereof - will dictate the rest of the incentive-laden contract.
The Bills can exercise a team option prior to next March. Then the extension would kick in, paying Taylor a grandiose $27.5 million for the 2017 season and guaranteeing him $40.25 million over the course of the deal (although his salary won't be guaranteed after 2018). However, if Taylor turns out to be a one-year wonder, the team can nullify the rest of the agreement.
It's easy to paint a revisionist picture of Taylor's rise to the top of the Bills' depth chart. Last summer, a significant faction of the fan base still held out hope that EJ Manuel would deliver on the promise of his first-round designation in 2013. Instead, after an immensely successful training camp, it was Taylor who exceeded the most optimistic projections, completing 63.7 percent of his passes for 20 touchdowns against six interceptions. That performance makes it easy to forget how sudden Taylor's rise was, and the Bills, for once, have guarded themselves against possible regression.
Taylor's frenetic style of play and ability to provide secondary contributions to the team's running game make him an ideal fit for offensive coordinator Greg Roman's offense. The Bills led the NFL in rushing last year, largely because opponents needed to account for multiple ground threats on every snap, and Taylor's ability to break contain was a huge factor.
The extension could seal the fates of Roman and head coach Rex Ryan if Taylor can't repeat the performance, particularly if he fails to impress in 2016. With a quarterback tailor-made for their philosophy, any regression from Taylor could be interpreted as an indictment of Ryan, who arrived in Buffalo with a bullish view of the team's future. The six-year extension inextricably links Ryan and company's fortunes to the quarterback, regardless of the team option.
The franchise brain trust intelligently hedged its investment in Taylor, though, and if the 27-year-old proves his breakout season wasn't an anomaly, it could pay off handsomely for both him and the Bills.
