The Buffalo Bills playoff hopes were dashed yesterday after they dropped an extremely winnable game in absolutely heartbreaking fashion to the lowly Oakland Raiders. The loss will resonate throughout the offseason for the Bills (8-7), not just because they'll now spend their 15th January in a row watching football from the comfy confines of their respective homes, but because they actually had a roster this season capable of making it to the postseason and possibly beyond.
With an extremely strong defense (third against the pass, 13th against the run) and an offensive core comprised of center Eric Wood, tackles Cordy Glenn and Seantrel Henderson, receivers Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods and running backs Fred Jackson, C.J. Spiller and Boobie Dixon, there is no reason the Bills shouldn't have been mowing down opponents on a weekly basis.
But failures at the quarterback position - drafting E.J. Manuel and pinning their hopes on either Manuel's development or early season backup Kyle Orton's game-managing ability - have left the team wanting yet again.
This means that if coach Doug Marrone and general manager Doug Whaley are to return this organization to the postseason and ultimate victory, they'll need to start first and foremost by revamping the signal-caller position.
Unfortunately, you can count out any of the highly touted quarterbacks coming out in the 2015 draft - Marcus Mariota from Oregon or Jameis Winston from Florida State - because the Bills surrendered their 2015 first-round pick in a draft-day trade last year which landed them Watkins.
Free-agency is always a possible answer, and there will be a number available - Mark Sanchez, Mike Vick, Jake Locker, Jimmy Clausen, Jason Campbell - but rarely, if ever, does it provide a long-term solution (see Kyle Orton). These guys are available for a reason.
Maybe the Browns let Brian Hoyer walk and the Bills sign him to another prove-it type deal. But as Johnny Manziel continues to fail, that situation seems both unlikely to occur and unlikely to offer the kind of QB stability the team so desperately needs.
This leaves the trade avenue as the most likely - albeit rocky and uncertain - road down which the team should travel.
There are a number of players who could be destined for new NFL zip codes this offseason, and should they become available at a reasonable price, the Bills would do well to add at least one to their roster for next season.
First up: deposed Chicago Bears signal-caller, Jay Cutler.
Cutler is a turnover machine with a big arm and underrated athleticism - he's thrown 28 touchdowns in 14 games this season, but also has 18 interceptions. He's a poor leader, as evidenced by his childlike body language, with fantastic physical attributes that, at 31 years old, is most likely nearing the down swing of his career.
He's been an utter failure in Chicago after signing a big new contract this past offseason, but the entire Bears team simply quit on coach Marc Trestman this year. Playing on a team like the Bills, with a great defense and strong supporting cast, could allow Cutler - if he's actually able - to play a smarter, safer game.
"I think the two teams that have to call the Bears about Cutler - and soon, after the season - are Buffalo and Tennessee," writes Peter King of SportsIllustrated.com. "Doug Marrone and Ken Whisenhunt can handle Cutler. And each franchise is moribund now without a quarterback of the future."
Also, if recent reports are accurate, taking on Cutler and his outsized contract could land the Bills a draft pick. Not necessarily the best reason to do such a deal - but it's a reason.
The San Francisco 49ers, already expected to jettison head coach Jim Harbaugh the minute the clock hits zero on their season, may also be interested in trading quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He's incredibly athletic and still quite young, but has regressed as a passer this year - he's got only 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for a total year rating of 85.1.
He signed a new $126 million deal in the offseason, but those numbers are greatly inflated and the team can pretty easily get out from under it. There's not yet been any indication that he could become available, but if he did, the Bills would be wise to jump at the chance to acquire him.
Sam Bradford, perennially injured quarterback for the St. Louis Rams, could be another potential target. He's only played in 49 games in five NFL seasons - that's about 10 a year for all you math majors - so, he's not exactly reliable.
But he's shown flashes of first-round-pick ability when healthy and has a year left on his rookie deal. Rams coach Jeff Fisher said recently that Bradford's still very much in the team's plans moving forward, but if St. Louis were to make him available, he could be a fantastic low-risk, high-reward type acquisition for the Bills, who would be able to let him walk after next season were it to prove a bad fit.
No matter what avenue the Bills take to improve the quarterback position this offseason, the only thing they can't do is maintain the status quo. Trade, free agency, making some more draft day noise: whatever the Bills do, they need to fix their team at the game's most important position, because right now, it's the only thing keeping them from becoming legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
