2011 Buffalo Bills: Will the Bills Sign Ryan Fitzpatrick To a Long-Term Deal?

To my way of thinking, one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the 2011 Buffalo Bills is what they will do with regards to the long-term future of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

The veteran from Harvard University is hitting the last year of his contract in 2011. In his first year with the Bills in 2009, Fitzpatrick did an admirable job of filling in for starter Trent Edwards. That was the last year that Dick Jauron still coached the team, and also the year that Perry Fewell was the interim head coach.

In 2010, Chan Gailey entered the mix and once again Trent Edwards was named the stater. Once again, Fitzpatrick was asked to come in and pick up the pieces for Edwards, who was waived after the first two games of the season.

So now here we are in 2011, and Fitzpatrick is finally the clear starter. What would you do with Fitzpatrick from a short-term and long-term perspective, realizing how much trouble you have had in the past at finding a quarterback that could keep the team competitive?

The way that I see it, there are three basic options for how the Bills can proceed, so let's lay all of our cards out on the table.

Option one: You want to let Fitzpatrick know that he is the guy. He is your man. Once the lockout is lifted, you remove all doubt and offer him a contract extension in the three- to four-year range. The move basically tells everybody on the team that this is your leader, and you better have his back. It also removes any and all doubts about his future and gives him peace of mind knowing that he will be employed.

Option two: You sit back and see how the 2011 season unfolds. You want to see if the second year under Chan Gailey is showing more promise, or was the 2010 season an outlier, and the real Fitzpatrick is closer to the 2009 version? You monitor his performance and continue some degree of contact with Fitzpatrick and his agent.

This option will cause for a little bit more consternation in the Bills locker room, and will also cause Fitzpatrick's agent to start to put some feelers out for free agency in 2012. This option also contains a certain amount of risk, because you had the chance to sew up your quarterback, but you chose not to. He might feel somewhat disrespected, and once a player feels that way, it is hard to get them back.

Option three: Do absolutely nothing during the course of the 2011 season. You are waiting to see what happens with the Bills season, and as a result, what position will the Bills hold in the 2012 NFL draft? If Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley have solid years, and the Bills are drafting in the first three to five slots, would you want to be signing Fitzpatrick to a long-term deal, knowing that you have a chance to draft a franchise-type of quarterback in the first round?

The Bills can probably place some sort of franchise tag on Fitzpatrick at the end of the 2011 season, assuming that franchise tags are still part of the landscape in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. It may be that the Bills prefer to have Fitzpatrick start for them in 2012, and begin the mentoring process until it is time to pass the torch to the new franchise quarterback in 2013. 

As of now, the Bills are solidly all in the corner of Ryan Fitzpatrick. He is their unified team leader. But how the Bills decide to play out this scenario will be one of the more interesting story lines whenever the 2011 season begins in earnest. It could well have a major impact on the short term and long term success of the Bills organization. What do you think Bills fans? What should the team do? Go ahead and vote on the poll question and leave a comment as well, if you prefer.