Veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor has only started five games in the last three seasons and played just 36 snaps in 2024, yet just because he is used to be further down on the depth chart doesn’t mean he’s changing his approach to the game. Taylor, who is on his seventh NFL team, said no matter what his role is on the New York Jets or any team, he prepares as if he will be taking the first offensive snaps.
The 35-year-old is entering his second season with New York and will be backing up a different quarterback in 2025 than he did in 2024. The Jets moved on from future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers and signed Justin Fields this offseason with the intent to make him their starter.
Taylor wouldn’t say if he expected to get more of a shot at the QB1 role and overall seemed OK with where things landed.
“Whether I did or whether I didn’t, my mindset and the way I condition myself to get ready for a season since my rookie year has been [to] approach each and every day as if you’re the starter,” Taylor said, on being named a backup behind the 11th overall pick in 2021. “As a quarterback, you’re an opportunity away, so you want to be well prepared for that opportunity.”
There is always a chance Taylor’s number gets called, as it did in 2023 with the New York Giants, when he played in 11 games, starting five and going 2-3 in those games, his most recent starts.
Taylor’s main goal is to help the Jets win, in whatever capacity that is as a veteran presence. He wants to help the younger members of the team, including Fields, who he knows “very well,” noting they trained together this offseason.
“We’ve been good friends throughout his time in the league as well,” Taylor said of Fields. “So I’m here to support and help the team win in any form or fashion, whether it’s me on the field or whether it’s me being able to shed some light and experience and coach guys through, whether it’s in the quarterback room or any other position. Any knowledge or experience that I could offer to the younger guys that helps the team win, at the end of the day, is what I’m here to do. I’m looking forward to doing that.”
The last time Taylor suited up as the starter for the majority of a season was in 2017, when he was with the Buffalo Bills. He went 8-6 in 14 starts, with 14 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Taylor is 28-28-1 as a starter and in his 14-year career, has played for the Baltimore Ravens, Bills, Giants, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns and Jets. He has 12,254 total career passing yards, along with 68 touchdowns and 29 interceptions.
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