How about looking at the QB this way:

[Judge]

The Bills are in position to make a major investment into need areas this offseason, with the salary cap cleaning TD has done.

The D, while improved over the season, needs some new blood to raise the overall talent level so that the D can sustain a good effort over the course of the season, as this year the D as a whole was woefully lacking in T/O's, QB pressure, and consistency. The D is the likely top priority for TD.

The o-line showed signs of molding into a solid unit- not all-pro yet, but better- a little tweak here and there couldn't hurt, but it seems on the right track. The RB situation appears to be answered, and even if Peerless Price leave the Bills' receiving corps looks sound.

With all of these factors, who would you rather have QB this team in 2003 and likely beyond:

Drew Bledsoe or Travis Brown?


Let's get real here. Who in the NFL is clearly and beyond a doubt so vastly better than Drew that the Bills would want him over Drew? I'd argue nobody. Favre isn't available, and look at what happened to him yesterday? If the team around him fails he can't do magic all the time either, and Favre was just as guilty as anyone else with the bad pick he threw early on.

I'd think the list of comparable QB's to Bledsoe is VERY short. Favre, McNabb, maybe Vick, maybe McNair, maybe Warner (the beneficiary of the Rams system in my opinion). Of those guys, who's available? Nobody.

Would anyone on here really want to dabble in total speculation by searching for a QB who can do the job over having a reliable, established vet who's been there and succeeded and who likely has 4 or more years of play left in him due to his age? If so, why? It doesn't make any sense to me.

[PA Season Ticket Holder]

Are you related to Drew Bledsoe or something?

Why even talk about if we should keep Bledsoe next year? He's not going anywhere. I can just see us dumping him after 1 year and a 1st round pick.

However, I do think we should look for a QB in this or next years draft. After 2 more years we will have to make a decison on whether we want the next part of his contract to kick in. I don't think he'll be worth that money in 2 years.

We can't just try to groom any old scrub. I'm not sure if they're high on Brown or not, but we need to find somebody. This Drew Bledsoe talk for the next 6 years just won't happen.

It's a huge contract that will surface after 6 years. Do you think he'll be worth all that money after 2 years? I don't think he will.

We should still have a good team in 2-3 years. I'd rather keep some of our younger players then give him all that cash with no return at that age.

[itsandthings]

The deadline for deciding if Bledsoe is the Bills long-term QB is November 2004. At that point, the Bills need to pee or get off the pot.

Bledsoe is a certainty to return next year, if only because he has $2M in guaranteed salary and another $2M buyout of his next option. The Bills traded for Bledsoe and the contract is relatively affordable for a franchise QB because the Patriots absorbed the $8M he was paid up front in the form of a signing bonus.
However, Drew has a $7M Option Bonus payment for the 2005-2007 years of the contract which is due in November 2004. If the Bills pick it up, he is under contract through 2007 and the $7M bonus is spread over 7 years (through 2010) at $1M per season.

However, if the option is declined or not acted upon by November 2004 then the Bills have to pay Bledsoe the $2M option buyout, which counts on the cap as of November 1, 2004 and raises his cap number that year from $6M to $8M. Bledsoe would then be a free agent after that season.

The Bills should try to draft or acquire a young QB to develop in case Bledsoe doesn't work out. It only makes sense not to leave the team high and dry.

[Tom D]

The Bills should explore in this draft a decent backup. I like Kliff Kingsbury if he's available in the 4th or 5th rd.