Buffalo Bills: Agent Wrong to Say Tyrod Taylor Deserves New Deal
By Paul Taylor
Tyrod Taylor’s agent believes Tyrod Taylor should get a contract extension, but the Buffalo Bills are right to hold off on agreeing anything at this stage.
It turns out that Tyrod Taylor‘s agent is not too happy with the Buffalo Bills. Just add him to the long list of people who have had similar feelings about the organization, especially during the last two decades.
Speaking to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News, Adisa Bakari said he does not agree with the Bills current stance in respect of his client. He believes Taylor is worthy of receiving a contract extension ahead of the 2016 season.
Bakari made his case, while also giving a (not so) subtle warning, about the long-term future of his client: “Fortunately, there are 31 other teams that have watched and will be watching Tyrod.”
The partner of The Sports Entertainment Group then went on to say: “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.”
More from Tip of the Tower
- Cam Phillips making his mark on Toronto Argonauts offence
- Toronto Argonauts: 4 storylines ahead of matchup against Redblacks
- Federico Bernardeschi ready for new challenge with Toronto FC
- Toronto Argonauts overcome Roughriders in entertaining Touchdown Atlantic
- Buffalo Bills: Von Miller drawing inspiration from Bruce Smith
Now, this isn’t entirely true, when you consider Doug Flutie and Drew Bledsoe both made the Pro Bowl during their tenures in Western New York. Of course, it’s perfectly understandable for an agent to fight his client’s corner, especially when he has a vested interest in getting any new deal agreed.
However, Bakari is wrong to say Taylor has done enough to warrant an extension. It’s too early to make any further commitment to him at this stage, as the long-term solution at the quarterback position.
This is not to take anything away from the 26-year old’s performances last season. In some respects, he exceeded expectations, completing nearly 64 percent of his passes and throwing for over 3,000 yards, with a 20-6 touchdown-interception ratio.
In addition, Taylor proved to be a significant duel threat, rushing for over 500 yards on the ground. However, there are still areas of his game he needs to work on, to give the Bills more confidence in him.
For a start, the 2011 sixth round draft pick needs to improve on his consistency. In addition, he took too many unnecessary hits.
No doubt, the argument would be made that these two aspects came down to it being Taylor’s first year as a starter. And while that is a valid point, it actually helps the Bills stance, in respect of needing to see more from him, before committing further.
From Doug Whaley’s perspective, the only downside to potentially waiting until after the 2016 season, is they may have to pay their quarterback more, if the team wins a Super Bowl. The general manager told Carucci: “Hopefully, it doesn’t adversely effect it.
“He chose us knowing he was going to compete, so I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t try to compete to prove that he’s an NFL starting quarterback. We look at him, everything he’s brought to us, that competitive nature, you can’t just turn that off, especially at that position.”
In truth, the organization has their hands tied at this stage anyway. The Hampton, Virginia native is currently signed to a team-friendly deal, a major advantage when you consider their limited cap space at this stage.
One final factor to consider, is Taylor could also be a candidate for the franchise tag, even if he does perform well next season. However this plays out, the chances are Bakari is going to be unhappy with the Bills front office for quite a while yet.
Next: Top 10 Super Bowls of all time
Do you agree with Tyrod Taylor’s agent, that his client is deserving of a new contract? Or do you believe the Bills are doing the right thing by standing their ground at this stage? Let us know in the comments section below.