5 quarterbacks who could lead the Buffalo Bills in 2018

1. Kirk Cousins

Cousins seems to be playing his last several games with the Washington Redskins, barring a shocking decision to franchise tag him for a third straight year at over $34 million for 2018. But someone will give Cousins a lucrative multi-year deal, and the virtual foregone conclusion he would rejoin former Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan with the San Francisco 49ers went out the window when they traded for Jimmy Garoppolo before this year’s deadline.

The door is open for multiple teams to enter the Cousins sweepstakes now. The Bills have just over $21 million in 2018 salary cap space right now (via Spotrac). But a decision to cut ties with Taylor would up that a little bit and some other cuts or restructures could be made to create the ability to sign Cousins.

Of course a back-loaded contract could also do the trick, if that’s something Cousins is open to. After going year-to-year for big money the way he has the last two years, Cousins may be willing to trade a reasonable first-year salary for a long-term commitment he never got from the Redskins.

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The Bills have constantly been trying to find a quarterback since Jim Kelly retired, with no one managing to stick long-term for a variety of reasons. Signing Cousins would bring stability, if nothing else, while possibly allowing Peterman or another young quarterback extra time to develop.