Cross Tyrod Taylor's name off the list of quarterbacks who could end up with the Browns this offseason.
The Buffalo Bills announced Wednesday they are keeping their starter on a restructured contract.
Taylor's future with the Bills had been in question because options in his previous contract were scheduled to trigger about $31 million in guarantees this weekend.
The Buffalo News reported Taylor's new five-year deal includes a $7 million signing bonus and reduces his $16 million salary-cap number for this year to just under $10 million.
Taylor would have been a logical target of the Browns had he been released. New Browns quarterbacks coach David Lee is a fan of Taylor. They spent the past two seasons together with the Bills.
The Browns will continue to explore other veteran options as they search for their next starting quarterback.
Their interest in pursuing a trade for New England Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo is well known. The Patriots are intent on keeping Garoppolo, but the Browns could still attempt to make coach Bill Belichick an offer he can't refuse.
Last week, ESPN Patriots reporter Mike Reiss wrote he believes a first-round pick plus a conditional first-round choice would convince New England to deal Garoppolo despite its plan to keep him. It would be surprising if the Browns were willing to pay such a steep price.
If Garoppolo isn't in the cards for the Browns, they could attempt to trade for Cincinnati Bengals backup A.J. McCarron, who spent his first two NFL seasons learning from Browns coach Hue Jackson.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup Mike Glennon is set to become an unrestricted free agent, but he's reportedly expected to sign with the Chicago Bears.
The Dallas Cowboys will cut veteran Tony Romo on Thursday, according to reports, but he'll likely head to a team ready to contend like the Houston Texans or Denver Broncos.
Former Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer agreed to a two-year deal Wednesday with the San Francisco 49ers, NFL Network reported. Hoyer will reunite with 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, the former offensive coordinator of the Browns.
All of these developments could lead the Browns to hang onto incumbent starter Robert Griffin III, who missed 11 games with a broken shoulder last season and went 1-4. He's due a $750,000 roster bonus Saturday.
Although it would not be surprising if the Browns cut Griffin before the bonus kicks in, they could pay him the bonus and keep him as insurance to see how their quest for a quarterback materializes in the coming weeks.
Of course, the Browns will probably draft a quarterback next month. They'll likely select Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett first overall on April 27, but they also have the No. 12 pick.
Clemson's Deshaun Watson, North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky and Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer are widely considered the three top-rated quarterbacks in this year's class. Watson and Trubisky had stellar throwing session's last week at the NFL Scouting Combine while Kizer struggled to pass with accuracy. The Browns could target one of them at No. 12 or trade up from that spot if they think it's necessary.
Either way, the Browns seem to prefer having a veteran starter in place who could give a rookie time to develop. And, ideally, that veteran would be someone who's not already on their roster.
