When the Green Bay Packers exited the draft without selecting a quarterback to develop, all the attention turned to Desmond Ridder and Kyle McCord. The prevailing thought at the time was that those two would square off to be Jordan Love‘s backup, and that didn’t change much when they signed undrafted free agent Kyron Drones. But on Monday, the Packers threw a curveball and signed veteran Tyrod Taylor.
That was the correct decision.
Taylor has played in 100 games and started 62 across 15 NFL seasons. He’s the textbook definition of a backup quarterback and has earned the right not to have to duke it out for the gig. And they made that abundantly clear when they released Ridder.
There will be no battle for the backup spot. If that were the case, Taylor would’ve gone elsewhere. He’s good insurance for any team in win-now mode. Regardless of how Green Bay dresses it up, Taylor will be Love’s backup in 2026, while McCord and Drones sling the pigskin around this summer in hopes of landing on the practice squad. That’s assuming the Packers don’t keep three quarterbacks on the final 53-man roster, which feels like a more than safe bet.
Taylor fits Green Bay’s situation perfectly. At age 36, he will likely stay in Green Bay for just one year, two at most, before the Packers draft another quarterback either next April or the year after that in hopes of developing them.
That might’ve been the plan entering this draft. Still, general manager Brian Gutekunst had only eight selections and exited with six new players after two trade-up opportunities were too enticing to pass up.
That opened the door for Ridder and McCord, but only briefly. The Packers clearly weren’t sold on either being the backup for Love. Now they pivot to Taylor, a veteran who will be playing for his eighth team and who has become a sought-after QB2.
Taylor is a bridge for whatever future the Packers envision for their backup QB strategy. They probably envisioned Malik Willis being that guy. However, he performed so well in spot duty for Love the last two years that he outplayed the backup label.
It’d be unfair to label Love as injury-prone, but he has missed multiple starts in each of the last two seasons. Getting someone like Taylor, who has plenty of starting reps and experience, as a backup who gets tossed into the ring for spot duty fits like a glove.
Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich took to the podium on Monday. However, as luck would have it, his presser ended just a few minutes before the Taylor news broke. New defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon was center stage for his presser when the word came down, and Gannon offered some insight.
“He’s good player,” Gannon said. “Played against him a long time. He’s accurate, and he’s mobile, so those are the two things that pop. And he’s a playmaker. He can deliver the ball accurately, and it’s hard to get him down in the pocket.”
When you think about the descriptors Gannon used — “mobile,” “playmaker,” “hard to get down,” “accurate,” — one thing becomes apparent. It’s as if the Packers got an older, more seasoned version of Willis.
Willis was a perfect fit for head coach Matt LaFleur’s scheme. At age 36, Taylor doesn’t quite have the wheels and mobility that Willis does at this stage, but it’s still a part of his game. And his age can play in favor of the Packers in one big way.
There will be no development for Taylor. He’s established. After playing on eight teams and having seen just about every scenario a quarterback could face over 15 years, it will be fascinating to see how Taylor helps Love instead of the other way around.
Taylor served as Aaron Rodgers‘ backup with the New York Jets in 2024, and Rodgers constantly praised Taylor’s knowledge of the game.
“It helps having a guy who has played so much because he can see things through a different lens, because he’s been around for so long,” Rodgers said at the time. “He has no obligation to do that for me; he’s just a great teammate. So, we both help each other out.”
Taylor is a smart signing that helps replace the value they lost when Willis moved on, but also adds a dimension that Willis did not bring to the table. It’s a great fit and a smart move for a team looking to make a Super Bowl run right now.
