Tyrod Taylor to Cardinals? Buffalo Bills quarterback predicted to be next Arizona QB

Predictions for who will be the next starting quarterback of the Cardinals continue to come out and one site has a bridge QB option for Arizona: Tyrod Taylor.

Pro Football Weekly predicts that the Cardinals will land the quarterback, currently with the Buffalo Bulls, in free agency. 

First things first: Will Taylor be available?

He is under contract in Buffalo, but could become a free agent if the Bills choose to cut him to free up some salary cap space (which is a real possibility).

Taylor is due a $6 million bonus if he’s on the Bills roster the third day of the league year, March 17, but also could be traded after the new-league year begins on March 14.

He is currently ranked No. 20 among quarterbacks in the NFL in average annual salary at $18 million.

CANDIDATES: Next starting quarterback for Cardinals

MORE: A.J. McCarron to Cardinals? Quarterback talk heats up

That doesn't seem to scare Pro Football Weekly. It even goes as far as predicting Taylor's contract in Arizona (Four years, $75 million, with $35 million guaranteed).

Eric Edholm writes: "The Cardinals must add a quarterback because, well, they have none under contract. This isn’t a great-looking deal on the surface, even though we like Taylor and appreciate what offensive coordinator Mike McCoy has done with a wide variety of talents at the position over the years. McCoy can adjust his offense appropriately with Taylor at the helm, and the Cardinals can draft a potential successor in Rounds 1 or 2. (Could you imagine if Lamar Jackson, a similar type of talent, fell to them at pick No. 47? What a deal that would be.) And for the Cardinals, they wouldn’t feel as if they were light years away in the QB arms race forming out west. Sure, they’d be behind the Seahawks, Rams and 49ers, all of whom have their franchise throwers in place for the many years to come. But the plucky Taylor would be a good placeholder and allow them to be competitive in what could be Larry Fitzgerald’s final season."

NFL MOCK DRAFTS: Cardinals trade up for a quarterback in the first round?

Taylor, 28, had 2,799 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and just four interceptions last season. He rushed for 427 yards and four touchdowns.

Here's what some other sites have said about the possibility of Taylor landing with the Cardinals in Arizona:

azcentral sports: Tyrod Taylor an option to replace Carson Palmer for Cardinals

Kent Somers writes: "The Bills benched him at midseason, a clear signal of what they think of Taylor’s future. Taylor, who turns 29 in August, has a reputation for being careful with the ball, so careful that he doesn’t make the plays required to win enough games."

ESPN: Arizona Cardinals are best fit for Tyrod Taylor 

Field Yates wrote: "Few teams have had the recent success of the Cardinals in acquiring veteran players and helping them to breathe second life into a career. Carson Palmer, Dwight Freeney and Tramon Williams are notable examples. There are many question marks this offseason in Arizona -- starting with who will replace Bruce Arians -- but Taylor would be a reasonable addition given that Arizona is far enough down the draft order (No. 15) that finding a top quarterback prospect is no sure thing."

MORE: Larry Fitzgerald lobbies for Cousins, Brees | Pundits examine chances

cardswire.usatoday.com: Tyrod Taylor might be ideal for Arizona Cardinals

Jack London writes: "With their need at quarterback, Taylor comes as no surprise, and the new coaching staff is versatile enough to accommodate his skill set. Unfortunately, it’s not likely to happen until after the draft. Unless Buffalo pulls a move to go up to the second or third pick (this would seem to be the most likely scenario) before the draft, there’s no way they could release Taylor now and count on selecting a future starter. If that were to happen, that would be an ideal scenario for Arizona to snatch him up if they still don’t have a viable answer on the roster."

CBS Sports: Cardinals could be Tyrod Taylor's next team

Ryan Wilson wrote in November: "Blaine Gabbert could start for Arizona this week. This is reason enough to include Taylor here."

NFL POWER RANKINGS: No QB, no love for Cardinals?

RELATED: Nick Foles next Cardinals QB? | Fans weigh in

RELATED: Arizona Cardinals NFL draft history - QBs

For more from The Heat Index, go to heatindex.azcentral.com.

Follow Jeremy Cluff on Twitter.