Picking on announced his retirement. What does it mean for the Bills going forward?

A Brief Retrospective

Orton's stead in Buffalo was short, just 12 games, but his Passing NEP, which indicates points added above expectation as a result of drop backs, of 19.65 was the best total a Bills passer tallied in a single season since isn't gifting Manuel the job.

Finding a Replacement

The Bills are certainly trending upward, and missing out on a viable quarterback would be a shame. They finished the season ranked 11th in our power rankings, thanks to a defense that ranked second overall and despite an offense that ranked 26th overall.

Finding a quarterback in the draft could be an option, but the Bills don't have their first-round pick (19th overall) because of the trade for Sammy Watkins. They also relinquished their fourth-rounder this year, too, making a package deal to move up in the draft just that much harder.

It seems, then, that a trade or a free agency signing is necessary if the Bills want to take advantage of an elite defense. Mark Sanchez is ostensibly the best free agent quarterback heading into the 2015 offseason, and if they can't lure him in, then maybe -- and this is nothing more than speculation to add context to the quarterback market that the Bills must navigate -- Robert Griffin is an option if Washington cuts ties with him. Also, if they can absorb Jay Cutler's contract and the new staff in Chicago wants a new look at quarterback now that Marc Trestman has been fired, Cutler might move to his third franchise.

Again, those are just speculative. The quarterback market is thin, and the Bills' window could close sooner than it should if they can't acquire at least a decent quarterback such as Sanchez.

There are no certainties about how Buffalo might approach this quest, but the Bills' attempt to add what might be the final piece to their puzzle toward serious contention for the first time in a long while will be one of the most interesting stories of this NFL offseason.