EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsA little more than a week after the NFL draft came and went without the Packers adding a quarterback, Green Bay is signing veteran Tyrod Taylor, a source told NFL Network.Taylor is expected to be the favorite to back up Jordan Love, who is entering his fourth season as a starter.Taylor is a replacement for Malik Willis, who played behind Love the past two seasons before signing with the Miami Dolphins in free agency.Before signing the 36-year-old Taylor, the only other quarterbacks the Packers had on the roster were Desmond Ridder and Kyle McCord.The Packers are releasing Ridder after signing Taylor, a source told NFL Network."I'm excited about the competition in that room and we'll see if we add to it along the way," Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said after the draft and before signing Taylor. "But it's a really important thing for us. Jordan, the last two years has missed some time, and we've needed somebody to come in there and play at a high level to help win those games. So, whoever's called upon we're going to expect that and when you lose a guy like Malik, it is something you're going to have to replace, and we're going to try to do that."Taylor has played in 100 games over his 15 NFL seasons and has made 62 starts, most recently with the New York Jets. He started four games last season for the Jets. The majority of his starting experience came with the Buffalo Bills, with whom he started 43 games from 2015-17.Taylor missed training camp with the Jets last summer due to arthroscopic knee surgery -- an issue that flared up in the middle of the season. He was named the starter on Nov. 17, replacing the ineffective Justin Fields, but he made only three starts from that point. He injured his groin on the first series of the third start and came out of the game. He didn't play again, as the Jets turned to rookie Brady Cook.It was a familiar story for Taylor, who has battled a variety of injuries throughout his 15-year career. He hasn't started more than six games in a season since 2017, his final season with the Bills.The Jets became his seventh team, as he signed a two-year, $12 million contract in 2024. Backing up Aaron Rodgers, Taylor was limited to mop-up duty in 2024. He made four starts in 2025 (the first as an injury replacement for Fields), posting a 1-3 record and finishing with 779 passing yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions.Taylor was hailed by his teammates as a consummate professional, refusing to make waves amid the Jets' quarterback turmoil.He was a sixth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2011, one of only five players from that draft still active in 2025. For his career, Taylor is 29-31-1 as a starter.ESPN's Rich Cimini contributed to this report.
