Tyrod Taylor was already going to sit out the Bills' regular season finale against the Jets, but now he may be out for even longer.
The Buffalo News reports that Taylor has been dealing with a serious groin injury for a while now and may need to undergo sports hernia surgery to fix it. He's traveling to Philadelphia to see a specialist to determine if that surgery will be necessary.
Interim coach Anthony Lynn had stated Wednesday that the decision to hold Taylor out of the Week 17 game was a "business decision," presumably referring to the injury guarantee in Taylor's contract extension that he signed last offseason. Taylor's contract contains a guarantee of an additional $30 million-plus that the Bills would owe him next season, even if he were so hurt that he couldn't play.
Taylor would need to be able to pass a physical by March 11, 2017 in order for the Bills to cut ties without owing him any additional money. The News reports that Taylor's expected recovery time from sports hernia surgery, if he needs it, would be about a month. That would put him clear of the March 11 date, but if any complications arose post-surgery, things could get tight.
Taylor himself told the News that he's not looking to leave Buffalo, but it may not be up to him. Whoever is hired to replace Rex Ryan as the team's coach (Lynn reportedly has the inside track on the full-time job) may want to bring in his own quarterback to start fresh. That desire could get complicated by Taylor's surgery and contract guarantee, so it's no surprise the Bills want to get this sorted out as soon as possible.
As for Taylor, he's likely to have suitors this offseason if the Bills do decide to part ways with him, as several teams are likely to be looking for new starters under center.
