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Why would the Bills bench quarterback Tyrod Taylor before the end of the 2016 season? They have 27.5 million reasons to consider it.

Much has been made of the fact that the Bills will owe $27.5 million in fully-guaranteed 2017 compensation if he’s on the roster as of March 11. They can avoid the payment by removing him from the roster before then.

But here’s the catch. If he’s unable to pass a physical before March 11, he gets the $27.5 million, because (as PFT has confirmed) the amount is currently guaranteed for injury.

The Bills, then, would be in the same posture as the 49ers were earlier this year, unable to cut quarterback Colin Kaepernick before his eight-figure salary became fully-guaranteed on April 1 and unable to trade him because Kaepernick had no reason to agree to take less than his full salary to facilitate a deal.

For Taylor, the money ultimately hinges on whether he suffers an injury in the final three regular-season games from which he doesn’t fully recover before March 11. If the doesn’t fully recover, the Bills will be on the hook for a large amount of money, whether they want him or not in 2017.

Once it’s obvious the Bills won’t make it to the playoffs (and it already sort of is), the best move would be to coat Taylor in bubble wrap and preserve the ability to avoid the $27.5 million obligation.