GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Packers didn’t draft a quarterback to compete for the backup job, so they signed one as a free agent.
Tyrod Taylor, a 15-year veteran who turns 37 in August, signed a deal with the Packers and now is the front runner to replace departed Malik Willis as Jordan Love’s backup.
The Packers will release quarterback Desmond Ridder to make room for Taylor, a source said.
New defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who was meeting local media for the first time, said he had just seen Taylor in the building after a reporter asked him what he knew of Taylor in light of an NFL Network report saying he was signing with the Packers.
“He’s a good player,” Gannon said. “Played against him a long time. He’s accurate, he’s mobile, that’s two things that pop up. He’s a playmaker. He can deliver the ball accurately and it’s hard to get him down in the pocket.”
Taylor is 29-31-1 as a starter and has a career passer rating 87.7. He has gone 3-6 as a backup the past three seasons, including 1-3 for a terrible New York Jets team last season. He completed 97 of 156 passes for eight touchdowns and five interceptions over the past two seasons.
The Packers will be Taylor’s eighth team.
An NFC personnel director said he thought taking a look at Taylor was worth Green Bay’s time.
“Makes sense,” he said. “He can still play if he can stay healthy. That’s been his biggest issue. Everyone he plays, he gets hurt. (He’s) older and fragile, but can still move and sling it.”
He entered the league as a sixth-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2011. He did not start a game his first four seasons in the league, but after signing with Buffalo, he started for three seasons, going 22-20.
The Packers did not have an established backup after Willis signed with Miami. Ridder, a former Atlanta Falcons starter, signed in January, and 2025 Philadelphia Eagles sixth-round draft pick Kyle McCord were the Packers’ top two candidates to backup Love.
The Packers also signed Virginia Tech’s Kyron Drones as an undrafted free agent.
This article originally appeared on Packers News: Packers sign Tyrod Taylor to compete for backup QB job
Reporting by Tom Silverstein, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Packers News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
