The New York Jets wanted to add a veteran quarterback this offseason and they got their wish.
“Aaron Rodgers has a new backup: The Jets have agreed to terms with veteran Tyrod Taylor,” according to NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero.
NFL Insider for CBS Josina Anderson added on social media that Taylor’s contract with the Jets is “a 2-year deal.”
Taylor Fills a Massive Need for the Jets This Offseason
There is no other way to put it, the Jets quarterback situation was an unmitigated disaster last year. Four different passers appeared in games and the results more often than not were the same.
General manager Joe Douglas made it very clear at his end-of-season presser that adding a veteran quarterback was a very high probability.
Taylor, 34, has been around the league for a long time. He entered the NFL back in 2011 as the No. 180 overall pick in the sixth round.
He has played for six different NFL organizations and the Jets will be his seventh. During his 13-year career to date, Taylor has put up 12,135 passing yards, has completed 61.7% of his passes, and has a 65 touchdown to 29 interception ratio.
Taylor also can use his legs as another weapon at his disposal. While he isn’t nearly as adept as he used to be in his younger years, Taylor can still get the job done.
Last season Taylor scrambled for 197 rushing yards which is the most he has accumulated in a single season since 2017.
One Small Problem With Taylor-Jets Pairing
I included Taylor in my top five players the Jets should avoid in free agency earlier this week on “Boy Green Daily.”
The biggest reason for that inclusion was due to Taylor’s durability issues.
Rich Cimini of ESPN noted a lot of his positives on social media including his “starting experience, can move an offense, and knows the NY market.”
Taylor has appeared in 92 games and has made 58 starts during his career. That is a dramatic improvement over what New York has trotted out in the recent past.
However Cimini also candidly admitted that the “Big question is durability. Lots of injuries, most recently broken ribs (against the Jets).”
The silver lining about Taylor’s injury history is he “only gets injured against the Jets so now he won’t get injured ever again” a fan wrote on X previously Twitter.
Taylor was annihilated in a preseason game against the Jets in August of 2022 by defensive lineman Micheal Clemons. He also hurt his ribs during the regular season game in Week 7 of the 2023 season.
Antwan Staley of the New York Daily News said the well-documented “string of bad luck injuries” for Taylor might force Gang Green to make another move. “The Jets might need a Plan C just in case,” Staley explained.
The ideal quarterback room for the Jets in 2024 includes Rodgers as QB1, Taylor as QB2, and a future yet-to-be-named rookie passer.
Gang Green screwed it up with Zach Wilson who is expected to be cut or traded this offseason. They forced him out there before he was ready and it was an epic disaster. This time around they have a chance to draft a youngster and let him develop slowly behind the scenes.
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