As the quarterback market played out during the early stages of free agency, A.J. McCarron remained without a team. The Buffalo Bills themselves remained without a legitimate quarterback. So in the end, it made perfect sense that the two sides would come together on a contract.
It came in the form of a two-year, $10 million deal. Needless to say, that’s much less than McCarron was hoping for when he won the right to become an unrestricted free agent. It’s also pretty much backup quarterback money.
Now in talking about the signing, Bills general manager Brandon Beane wouldn’t even come close to committing to McCarron as the starter next season. In fact, it will seemingly be a wide-open competition.
Beane says McCarron and Nathan Peterman will compete for #Bills' starting QB job, adding, "We'll see what else happens between now & the first game."
— Vic Carucci (@viccarucci) March 16, 2018
Some of you will remember Nathan Peterman as the rookie quarterback who threw five interceptions in one half after being inserted as the team’s starter over Tyrod Taylor for a game against the Chargers last season. He’s apparently clearly in the mix for the starting job.
Though, it’s also pretty darn early in the process. It’s a given that Buffalo will select a quarterback in the first round of April’s draft.
The team traded up from the 21st selection to 12th overall in the deal that sent starting left tackle Cordy Glenn to Cincinnati last week. The Bills now boasts the 12th and 22nd picks in the 2018 NFL Draft as well as two second-round picks and two third-round picks. They have been rumored to be looking to trade up into the top five.