Report: Bills made decision to move on from Tyrod Taylor ‘weeks ago’

The Buffalo Bills will be starting E.J. Manuel Sunday against the New York Jets while Tyrod Taylor looks to be headed for groin surgery.

That Taylor has been dealing with a severe groin injury for weeks was a surprising revelation earlier this week, especially since the quarterback put together one of his best games of the season during Week 16.

Now we have a new report that indicates the Bills have not only been letting Taylor play through a groin injury but that they’ve known he’s a goner “for weeks.”

It seems pretty harsh to let him play through a painful injury while knowing he’s not going to be a part of the team going forward. But that’s how it works in the NFL, which can is as cutthroat as any big business.

The way Taylor’s contract was set up, the 2017 year is essentially a team option. He can be let go without a big penalty if he’s off the roster before the new league year next spring. Should he remain on the roster on March 11, 2017, then the Bills would owe him $15.5 million as a roster bonus and $12 million as a base salary, with $3.25 million of his 2018 salary fully guaranteed.

While Taylor has shown some good things as the starter in Buffalo, it’s hard to argue he’s worth that kind of cash. Then again, looking out across the barren landscape that is the NFL’s free agent market for quarterbacks, maybe he’s not such a bad option after all.

But Buffalo hasn’t made it to the playoffs in 17 years. That kind of desperation causes action. In this case, it’s looking like Taylor will join Rex and Rob Ryan this winter as men who are looking for a new job.