INDIANAPOLIS -- The quarterback shuffle in the NFL is about to begin and two of the first dominoes to fall should be Mike Glennon and Tyrod Taylor. A Tony Romo or Jimmy Garoppolo trade could take some time to develop, while the Redskins now have until July 15 to get a long-term deal done with Kirk Cousins.
The Bills do not plan to retain Taylor at his current contract, according to sources, as they continue to meet with agents for free agent quarterbacks and explore other options. And while the Bills have proposals at a lesser salary on the table, no one I’ve talked to here at the combine -- general manager, cap guy or agent -- can figure any reason why Taylor should accept anything from the Bills at this point. Especially with him being coveted as a free agent.
League sources said the Browns have significant interest in Taylor as a free agent. Taylor has strong ties to some on the Browns staff already and if/when he hits the open market I would be shocked if the Browns don’t make a real push for him. Many in the league believe that’s where he will end up -- he’s young and athletic and protects the football and has upside. That would allow the Browns to take the two best players available with their two first-round picks -- beginning with Myles Garrett first overall. The Browns also continue to try to push to retain pending free agent receiver Terrelle Pryor to have some weapons for the new QB.
As for Glennon, he is clearly poised at the top of a very shallow starting quarterback free agent market and several GMs around the league believe Chicago has the strongest current interest in him and will emerge as the front-runner to land him coming out of the combine. The Bears love Jimmy Garoppolo but that requires parting with multiple significant assets and they seem convinced Glennon can do the job. I’d anticipate the money being in the Ryan Fitzpatrick range from a year ago - $12 million per season -- with the chance to earn significantly more via production and incentives.
