Bills Rumors: Tyrod Taylor Won't Be Cut; Could Be Starter or Traded Next Season

The Buffalo Bills reportedly won't cut quarterback Tyrod Taylor this offseason, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, instead either giving him the opportunity to win the starting job in 2018 or exploring potential trades for him this offseason.

"The Bills have not written off the possibility that he's their quarterback next year," Rapoport noted. 

Taylor, 28, had a solid if unspectacular season for the Bills in 2017, throwing for 2,799 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 62.6 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 427 yards and four touchdowns. 

His future in Buffalo was called into question in Week 11, however, when he was benched in favor of rookie Nathan Peterman. But his demotion lasted all of one half after Peterman threw for five interceptions in just two quarters.

As Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported at the time:

"Ultimately, the sense was that Taylor is not the franchise quarterback of the future—though obviously an injury to Peterman would thrust him back on the field with the potential to alter some perceptions of him down the stretch—and this was the only viable time to give Peterman a solid period of time to show what he can do before Buffalo goes into an offseason in which it is loaded with picks in the first three rounds and heavily scouring the college quarterbacks."

How Buffalo addresses its quarterback position this offseason will be the primary storyline surrounding the team. The Bills could roll with Taylor again and hope he returns them to the postseason, or Peterson could take a major step forward and win the job. 

They also could draft a quarterback—they have two first-rounders in 2018—or splash major money to try and lure a player like Kirk Cousins or Jimmy Garoppolo to Buffalo in free agency. Finally, they could inquire about veterans like Alex Smith or Eli Manning if the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Giants, respectively, make those quarterbacks available via trade.

Given that they were willing to bench Taylor midseason and reportedly don't view him as a long-term option, it's hard to imagine the Bills keeping him as anything other than a backup plan in the event they can't acquire a franchise quarterback this offseason.