GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Two things can be true when it comes to Tyrod Taylor's NFL career: He probably never imagined that he'd play this long in the NFL, but he also never thought it would be this hard to get back to a Super Bowl after making it to one as a backup in his second season.
The Green Bay Packers not only have given him a chance to play a 16th season but perhaps to cap his career with Super Bowl. In exchange, the team hopes Taylor can provide valuable insurance, in case they need their backup quarterback to play, but also impart his years of NFL wisdom to Jordan Love, who is entering his fourth season as the Packers' starter.
"Sixteen years in, I was fortunate enough to be part of a Super Bowl winning team in Year 2," Taylor said of the 2012 season with the Baltimore Ravens. "Over the course of the career, you realize how hard it is to get back. You definitely try to look for teams that have the best talent, but that doesn't always win championships as well. It's about the nucleus. It's about the chemistry. Obviously it's about staying healthy.
"Every team, this time of year, feels they have the pieces to do so. It's about putting in the work, day in and day out, keeping the right mindset. I think the guys in this locker room have the right mindset to achieve what we all want to achieve."
Taylor arrived in Green Bay in early May after signing a one-year, $2.5 million contract that included a $700,000 signing bonus. That's on the low end of the salary scale for an NFL backup, but Taylor has not been a regular starter since the 2017 season with the Bills. In all, he has played in 100 games for seven teams and has made 62 starts since he entered the league as a sixth-round pick in 2011.
It marks the first time that Love has had someone older than him as a backup.
"Tyrod is a pro, he's a vet, he's been at it for a long time, so it's nice to have a guy in the room that's played a lot of ball," Love said recently during the offseason program. "He's been in a lot of different offenses and just somebody that you can piggyback off and pick his brain. You know, what are you seeing out there? What am I seeing? Those kind of things and just have those conversations. Tyrod's been great. He's a pro. Just the way he handles his business, comes into the building and just goes about his work. It's cool to watch, and it will be great to have him around all season."
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst didn't rush into finding a replacement for Malik Willis, the backup the past two seasons before he signed with the Dolphins in free agency. He did not sign a veteran quarterback in free agency and didn't draft one, either. The only other quarterbacks on the Packers' roster are 2025 sixth-round draft pick Kyle McCord and undrafted rookie Kyron Drones.
Love has missed two starts in each of the past two seasons after playing in every game during the 2023 season, when he took over as the starter. That gave Willis the chance to excel, which allowed him to resurrect his career after he was traded to the Packers by the Titans, where he had struggled.
Taylor sees his role differently. Yes, he's ready to play if needed, but he's also here to help Love in whatever way possible.
"We're each other's eyes when we're not on the field, whether it's looking for certain things while he's on the field that he may not be able to see before he gets the tablet in his hands," Taylor said. "Just keeping the communication as open as possible. Some people love more talkers on the sideline. Some people want things to be quiet. It's about learning one another. It's our first opportunity working alongside, so we'll get comfortable within that space. Right now it's about just attacking the offseason with a critical eye, being very critical of ourselves first, but also coaching each other throughout drills and what we see on tape."
Taylor spent the past two seasons with the Jets, including one as Aaron Rodgers' backup. Before that, he had a two-year stint with the Giants. In all, he has thrown for more than 13,000 yards with 73 touchdowns and 34 interceptions. He also has rushed for more than 2,400 career yards with 20 touchdowns.
"He's a guy that's going to be prepared every single time, no matter the day, no matter what's going on," said Packers safety Xavier McKinney, who played with Taylor on the Giants. "He's always going to be that voice you need in the locker room -- that true vet voice, to be able to give us words of encouragement, everything -- and obviously he can go in there and ball too. I've been around him for some time now and I understand how he works, and when you think about veteran guys, like he's a true vet guy.
"I was just talking to somebody on the sideline [during OTAs], I'm like damn, he just got in not too long ago, but you would have thought he'd been here for the last two years. That goes to show how smart he is and how much he's been able to see around the league, coming in and being ready."