Rex Ryan: Bills not likely to extend Tyrod Taylor
Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan watches from the sideline in the second half of a game against the New England Patriots, in Foxborough, Mass., on Nov. 23, 2015. Credit: AP / Steven Senne
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Rex Ryan was convinced before the start of last season that Tyrod Taylor would do a fine job in his first season as a starting NFL quarterback, and the coach’s faith was justified after Taylor put together some impressive stats in helping the Bills to an 8-8 record.
But now that Taylor is looking for the kind of payday that would place him among the top half of NFL quarterbacks, the coach isn’t making any promises. In fact, it sounds as if Taylor has no choice but to play out the final year of his current deal, worth $3 million in 2016.
“Our entire organization believes in Tyrod Taylor, there’s no doubt,” Ryan said Tuesday during an AFC coaches breakfast at the NFL’s annual spring meetings. “But when you look at our situation salary cap-wise, anything that would include an extension for him would have to be in the best interests of both Tyrod and the Bills. I think right now, it’s kind of hard to bring those two things together with our cap situation.”
Taylor’s agent, Adisa Bakari, told the Buffalo News earlier in the week that Taylor deserves a new deal after last season when he threw 20 touchdown passes and only six interceptions.
“It’s the Bills’ prerogative to do what they want to do as it relates to Tyrod Taylor or any other Bills player,” Bakari said. “The fact of the matter is what Tyrod was able to do as a first-time starter in 2015 was give the Bills the best quarterback play they’ve had since Jim Kelly. If that isn’t enough to warrant an extension, I don’t know what will be.”
Ryan understands the frustration but also understands the reality that the Bills simply don’t have the cap space to sign Taylor to a long-term deal.
“The agent’s probably the most disappointed of all, but there’s a football team to run, not just one player,” Ryan said. “You have to do what’s in the best interest of your team, not just one player.”
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
