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Bills former quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Jamie Germano/@jgermano1/ / USA TODAY NETWORK

Jets find Aaron Rodgers a suitable backup in former Pro Bowler

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated Mar 12, 2024 9:43 AM ET

The New York Jets are finally bringing in a suitable backup quarterback for Aaron Rodgers after agreeing to a two-year contract with Tyrod Taylor late Monday night.

According to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic, the Jets were also interested in veteran Jacoby Brissett and 2023 Pro Bowler Gardner Minshew II. But they are joining the New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders, respectively. Rosenblatt added that longtime Tennessee Titans signal-caller Ryan Tannehill was "also a possibility."

Many media members who cover Gang Green agreed that while the team will likely need to select a quarterback in April's NFL Draft as the third-stringer, Taylor is a perfect fit to back up the four-time MVP.

Biggest concern with Tyrod Taylor, having watched him last year with #Giants, is that he holds the ball way too long, which leads to unnecessary hits & injuries. Held your breath when he was back there.

If he's your No. 2, though, you need a No. 3, though. Wouldn't rule out the…
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) March 12, 2024

The Tyrod Taylor agreement, confirmed by a source, addresses a major need for the #Jets, whose 2023 season was undermined by poor QB2 play. He has starting experience, can move an offense and knows the NY market. Big question is durability. Lots of injuries, most recently broken…
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) March 12, 2024

Tyrod Taylor has flaws — namely, prone to holding the ball too long and has a lengthy injury history — but he's an ideal QB2 for a #Jets team that could've used him in 2023.

He's willing to air it out: He had the 2nd-highest deep throw percentage of QBs with at least 25 deep…
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) March 12, 2024

The Jets entered the 2023 campaign with playoff, if not Super Bowl, aspirations, but those hopes were almost immediately crushed when Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles in Week 1.

Zach Wilson took over as the starter and produced inconsistent, mediocre results at best. New York went 4-7 in his 11 starts. Wilson finished his third season with the Jets with a career-high 60.1 completion percentage but just 2,271 passing yards with eight touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a 77.2 passer rating.

Like Wilson, Taylor was temporarily called upon last season to take over as a starter in the Big Apple.

After Giants starter Daniel Jones went down with a neck injury in Week 5, Taylor served as QB1 for Weeks 6, 7 and 8 before suffering a rib cage injury in Week 8 against the Jets. Jones returned in Week 9 but suffered a season-ending torn ACL that week against the Las Vegas Raiders, leading to undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito taking over.

DeVito started Weeks 10-16 before Taylor returned under center for the final two contests of the season.

The 34-year-old one-time Pro Bowler finished the season with a 64.4 completion percentage, 1,341 passing yards, five touchdowns, three interceptions and an 89.1 passer rating across 11 games (five starts).

Victor Barbosa

Victor Barbosa is a passionate follower of MLB, the NBA and NFL, with a deep interest in Boston-area teams. He graduated from Springfield College -- The Birthplace of Basketball -- in 2013 with a degree in Communications-Sports Journalism. Previous bylines include FanSided, Heavy and Syracuse

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