Eric Wood can finally announce he's retiring after the Buffalo Bills released the veteran center in a move considered a formality after he was diagnosed with a career-ending neck injury in January.

The NFL transactions list on Thursday listed the Bills reaching an injury settlement and releasing Wood under the designation: "Termination of vested veteran."

The decision by the Bills ends a lengthy waiting period for the team and Wood.

By waiting until Thursday John Ross Jersey , the Bills limited the effect the player's remaining bonus money will have on their salary cap. The more than $10 million in bonus money owed to Wood will now only count against the team's salary cap this year rather than be spread over the two years left on the contract.

Wood declined to comment on being released by the Bills in a text to The AP. Wood did say he's planning to attend Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly's annual charitable auction and golf tournament in Buffalo this weekend.

Though Wood said he'll never play again, the nine-year veteran balked at the last minute to announce his retirement during a news conference in January.

Wood read from a prepared statement and spoke for less than two minutes in revealing end of season tests discovered two discs being dangerously close to his spinal cord.

"Thanks to everyone who supported me throughout my career. And because of that, I am here today," Wood said. "I'm sure there are a lot of unanswered questions. I hope to address those at a later date. Thanks, and go Bills."

According to the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, teams could have asked for a portion of bonus money to be returned if a player retired before his contract expired. There was, however, a gray area if a player retired as a result of a career-ending injury.

Wood is from Cincinnati and spent four seasons playing at Louisville before being selected by the Bills with their second of two first-round picks in the 2009 draft. Wood earned a starting job entering his rookie season and appeared in 121 games, including one in the playoffs.

He was a respected team leader, popular in the community for his charitable work, and was the team's Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee in 2015 and '16.

Aside from Wood, Buffalo's offensive line must also replace starting left guard Richie Incognito, who abruptly retired in April and was then released by the Bills earlier this month.

Already a dozen NFL teams have new quarterbacks Authentic Troy Niklas Jersey , half of them starters. And next month's draft features a deep class of QB prospects, a half-dozen of which could hear their names called in the first round.

Why such a remarkable run on prime-time passers?

"They're hard to find," Denver Broncos general manager John Elway said after introducing Case Keenum as his fifth quarterback since Peyton Manning's retirement just two years ago. "It's a tough spot to play. There are a lot of expectations. It's a hard position. There are a lot pressures on it. You've got to play with consistency and there are a lot of people that rely on that position."

So, proven passers and projects alike see teams jockeying to throw multiple millions their way.

The harbinger of the "Great Quarterback Shuffle" of 2018 came during Super Bowl week when word got out that the Kansas City Chiefs were sending Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins, freeing Kirk Cousins to become a free agent in his prime, one who would rewrite the conventional contract.

Cousins made the media rounds at the Super Bowl, where he secretly scouted out the city he would soon call his own.

Minnesota surged past Denver, Phoenix and New York as Cousins' desired destination after the Vikings decided to let all three of their veteran quarterbacks hit the open market.

While Cousins was working out a three-year, ground-breaking (fully guaranteed) and record-setting ($28 million average) deal in Minnesota , the Broncos, Cardinals and Jets were picking through the Vikings' quarterback bin:

鈥擟oming off a $2 million deal in Minnesota, Keenum commanded a two-year, $36 million deal in Denver after leading the Vikings to an 11-3 mark and the NFC championship game.

鈥擲am Bradford Youth Marquez Valdes-Scantling Jersey , whose injury opened the way for Keenum's breakout season, signed a one-year, $20 million with the Cardinals, who lost Carson Palmer to retirement.

鈥擳eddy Bridgewater, once the Vikings' established starter before a devastating knee injury two years ago, signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Jets, who also re-signed Josh McCown for one year at $10 million.

Trevor Siemian, who blew up the Broncos' quarterback plans two straight summers by beating out 2016 first-round flop Paxton Lynch, heads to the Vikings as Cousins' backup after going 13-11 in Denver.

Leading the Bills to their first playoff appearance in 18 years wasn't enough for Tyrod Taylor to secure his long-term future in Buffalo. The Bills traded Taylor to Cleveland, which traded DeShone Kizer to the Green Bay Packers, where he'll back up Aaron Rodgers.

AJ McCarron finally gets his chance to prove himself after spending four seasons in Andy Dalton's shadow. He signed a two-year deal with the Bills and said it makes no difference if his new team adds more competition by selecting one of the highly regarded quarterback prospects in the draft next month .

"I try not to ever waste any mental thought on it because it's something I can't control," McCarron said. "... You can either let it affect you in how you go about your work and let that define you. Or you can change everybody's thought process. My mindset is to change anybody that's had any doubt."

Keenum said his mindset won't change should Elway draft a quarterback such as Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield Cardinals Authentic Jerseys , Wyoming's Josh Allen, USC's Sam Darnold, UCLA's Josh Rosen, Louisville's Lamar Jackson or Oklahoma State's Mason Rudolph.

"I've been around long enough to know that anything is a possibility in this league. I was a starting quarterback when a team drafted somebody No. 1 overall and traded a bunch of draft picks. I know how that goes," Keenum said, recalling when the Rams selected Jared Goff in 2016.

Teams are also doling out big bucks for backups just two months after watching Nick Foles' MVP performance in leading the Eagles past Tom Brady's Patriots in Super Bowl 52 while starter Carson Wentz watched from the sideline.

Mike Glennon went from being the Bears' backup to Arizona, Chase Daniel went from the Saints to Chicago and Tom Savage moved from the Texans to New Orleans.

None of them got the kind of money Jimmy Garoppolo did after serving as Brady's backup for several seasons and then getting traded to San Francisco. After sparking the downtrodden 49ers, Garoppolo was rewarded with a record-breaking deal that averaged a whopping $27.5 million a season.

That mark stood until Cousins' deal came in at an average of $28 million, which is sure to fall when the Packers and Rodgers work out a new contract in the next year or so.

In several weeks, the NFL will be flush with a new crop of quarterbacks, some of whom may one day make today's jaw-dropping contracts look a little less eye-popping.

They may have to start out as a backup such as Patrick Mahomes II last year in Kansas City or Rodgers did in Green Bay when Brett Favre was still going strong.

Rodgers said that although there's an ever-widening schism between college offenses and the ones the pros run, today's QB prospects are in many ways more prepared for the NFL because the coaching is better at all levels.

"I think you're seeing more spread offenses in college, which give you the run-pass option a lot of times. You're seeing the NFL incorporate some of that. But in general http://www.saintsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-natrell-jamerson-jersey , I think there's just so much more education about quarterbacks that allows these guys to be more ready to play than, say, myself or Alex Smith or Jason Campbell were in 2005 when we got picked in the first round," Rodgers said. "So, it's a testament to those coaches but also those players for getting themselves ready to play earlier.

"But for any young quarterback, it's about opportunity and fit, situation. So, you've seen guys like Big Ben (Roethlisberger) go into a good situation and play great his rookie year, DeShaun Watson this year with a good team around him, Carson in his second year. Those.