Two years ago, Tyrod Taylor served as Aaron Rodgers’ backup for the New York Jets.
In 2026, he’ll likely be Jordan Love’s backup with the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers are signing the veteran quarterback Taylor, who will be playing for his eighth NFL team in his 16th season. Green Bay needed a reliable backup quarterback behind Love after Malik Willis departed in free agency, and they appear to have their new QB No. 2 with Taylor.
The 36-year-old played for the New York Jets the last two seasons, including Rodgers’ last for the team in 2024, and then saw his playing time increase in 2025 as primary starter Justin Fields struggled and had injuries. Taylor also battled multiple injuries last season.
Taylor will now have played for a quarter of the NFL teams during his long career. Besides having experience, he was once a significant dual-threat option, much like Willis was for the Packers the last two years.
Here’s more on Taylor, including his age, stats, NFL history and the team’s quarterback depth chart:
Tyrod Taylor age
He’s 36 years old. He’ll turn 37 during training camp on Aug. 3.
Who is Tyrod Taylor?
Taylor is a veteran NFL quarterback who’s a dual-threat option.
From Hampton, Virginia, Taylor played college football at Virginia Tech and earned ACC player-of-the-year honors his senior year.
He was a sixth-round draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2011 and spent the first four years of his career as a backup to Joe Flacco. He was on the Ravens’ roster that won the Super Bowl during the 2013 season.
Taylor signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Bills in 2015 and made the Pro Bowl in that first season when he started 13 games, completed 63.7% of his passes and threw for a career-high 3,035 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions.
He also had 104 rushes for 568 yards and four rushing TDs in 2015. For his career, Taylor has 20 rushing TDs and 2,424 rushing yards.
After leaving Buffalo following the 2017 season, Taylor has played for five teams, none longer than two seasons.
Tyrod Taylor teams
The Packers will be Taylor’s eighth team.
Here are the seven teams he has played for during his 15-year NFL career:
Tyrod Taylor stats
Taylor has played in 100 games during his 15-year NFL career. He has spent most of his career as a backup, though he made 43 starts (23-20 record) with the Buffalo Bills as a three-year starter from 2015 through 2017.
Tyrod Taylor last start
He made four starts with the Jets last season and six appearances overall as he filled in for Fields when he was injured or unproductive.
Taylor was 1-3 in starts last season. His last start came Dec. 7 against the Miami Dolphins. But he left the game in the first quarter with a groin injury after going 1-for-4 with 6 yards and an interception. Taylor didn’t play again the rest of the season.
Tyrod Taylor injury
Taylor has faced a myriad of injuries throughout his career.
These include shouler, MCL, groin, knee, rib and hamstring injuries. While he appeared in six games in 2025, he suffered through an injury-filled season.
Taylor had arthroscopic knee surgery during training camp and then battled through the injury during the season.
His season later ended after a groin injury in December.
Tyrod Taylor contract
Terms of Taylor’s contract weren’t immediately known. But if his recent contracts are any indication, it likely will be in the $5 million to $6 million range.
Here’s a look at his recent contracts, via Spotrac:
His two-year deal with the Jets in 2024 was for $12 million. Before that, he played for the Giants on a two-year deal for $11 million. His one-year deal in 2021 with the Texans was for $5.5 million. And in 2019, Taylor signed a two-year deal for $11 million with the Chargers.
His biggest contract came in 2016 after his first season with the Bills, when he signed a five-year extension for $90 million. A year later, he signed a two-year extension for $30.5 million.
Packers quarterback depth chart
After the signing of Taylor, the Packers have three quarterbacks after the release of Desmond Ridder, according to the NFL Network.
Here’s the Packers’ quarterback depth chart:
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Who is Tyrod Taylor? Packers quarterback’s age, stats, teams, contract
Reporting by Christopher Kuhagen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
