Two Bills Drive

'Complicating issues, however, is the fact that the QB had core muscle surgery earlier this week. If the recovery period for that surgery prevents Taylor from passing his physical on the extension due date, the Bills could be on the hook for all of the guaranteed portion of the contract, which is $27.5 million, even if they don’t want to pick up the option.'

'In two years of starting, Taylor held a 15-14 record for the Bills, throwing for 6,058 yards, 37 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions. Taylor also added 1,148 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing the ball in his time with the team.'

'Lorenzo Alexander and Zach Brown were both part of the AP’s All-Pro second team. The two players were ironically thrust into similar situations on Buffalo’s defense in 2016. Both were signed to one-year contracts as free agents for depth on the defensive side of their roster behind the team’s top two draft choices, but both wound up playing major starting roles.'

'“I don’t care if he’s a defensive mastermind or an offensive mastermind because he’s not going to do either one of those jobs,” said Tasker. “He’s going to be the head coach. There are guys who have done well with that like Andy Reid, Gary Kubiak. Sometimes it gets in their blood and they want to call plays and that’s what they want to do.'

'Presumably, Buffalo’s “brain trust” was smart to take out insurance on Taylor’s contract, but the way this franchise writes deals, you never know.'

'Lynn has 17 seasons of NFL coaching experience, beginning as a special teams assistant with the Broncos in 2000. He coached running backs for the Jaguars, Cowboys, Browns and Jets before Rex Ryan also gave him the title of assistant head coach in 2013. Lynn followed Ryan to the Bills in 2015, and he was promoted to offensive coordinator in Week Two after Greg Roman was fired. He served as the Bills' interim coach for the final game of the year after Ryan was fired.'

'"Hopefully it’s not as bad as they think it is," Taylor said.'

'The wording of the statement is interesting only because it suggests this was a decision Taylor made without consulting the Bills. By March, the Bills have to decide whether to pick up the option on Taylor's contract, which would carry with it more than $30 million in guaranteed money. The 2017 portion of the deal is guaranteed for injury, so if Taylor is unable to pass a physical by March 11, he would collect that money.'

'Safety: D-plus – Rex Ryan’s defense leans heavily on its secondary. Once Aaron Williams went down, things went from bad, to worse, for the Bills. While Williams isn’t an All-Pro safety by any stretch of the imagination, he’s much better than what was behind him.'

'The San Diego Chargers have also reportedly requested permission to interview McDermott.'

'If Taylor can’t pass a physical by March 3rd, the team is forced into picking up his $27.5 million option for the 2017 season. However, it’s believed that Taylor would be fully recovered from the surgery before that date.'

'In the span of about three weeks, Taylor has been benched, watched as his head coach was fired because of it, then it was revealed he’s actually hurt, and, finally, the 27-year-old quarterback was on the operating table undergoing groin surgery on Thursday, something which apparently came as a bit of a surprise to the Bills.'

'Instead, Football Terry looks to be just the kind of owner that Hockey Terry has not been.'

'Taylor previously said he intended to get a second medical opinion this week on the severity of the injury. He went 7-8 this season and was benched in Buffalo's 30-10 season-ending loss at the New York Jets last weekend.'

'If Taylor passes the physical, the Bills can elect not to exercise their option on Taylor and let him become a free agent. Buffalo would be hit with only a "dead money" hit of $2.853 million on its 2017 salary cap.'