Ryan Fitzpatrick released, Bills QB cut could affect Jaguars

In the first flurry of free agency activity on Tuesday, the Buffalo Bills made one of the biggest moves in the opposite direction by announcing the release of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick, 30, played four seasons with the Bills, but never grabbed headlines more than when he signed a huge six-year, $59 million deal in October 2011. The very premature extension blew up in the face of the Bills and he never came close to living up to the franchise quarterback contract.

The move can have an effect on the Jaguars, though, in two regards:

A) The Jaguars are in need of quarterback competition and are reportedly looking at the possibility of bringing in Drew Stanton for exactly that reason. With Fitzpatrick on the market, there's another possibility for the Jaguars to bring in competition as there's certainly reason to think that the former-Bills quarterback could be a better option than Chad Henne.

B) Without a quarterback worthy of a starting role on the roster, the Bills are suddenly a team that could be very desperate for a quarterback. A quarterback like West Virginia's Geno Smith who is widely considered to be the top QB prospect in the 2013 NFL Draft. A trade up to get Smith might be necessary and the Jaguars could be a team that is open for a trade with the Bills so they can go get him. Alternatively, though, there's plenty of reason to think Doug Marrone would want to target his former quarterback, Ryan Nassib, instead.