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Tyrod Taylor Addresses Jets Future; QB Open To Starting Opportunity

December 6th, 2024 at 11:17am CST by Adam La Rose

Aaron Rodgers is set to remain atop the Jets’ quarterback depth chart to close out the current campaign, but it very much remains to be seen if he will be with the team next season. Tyrod Taylor is under contract for 2025, and he represents an option to handle starting duties on at least a part-time basis for that year.

Taylor took a two-year pact this offseason to give the Jets a veteran Rodgers insurance option. New York’s QB setup in 2023 did not pan out, with Zach Wilson struggling upon taking over from Rodgers after the latter’s Week 1 Achilles tear. Taylor has made only one appearance this season, and with a regime other than the one led by Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas set to be in place this winter, a cleaning of house under center could be sought out. The veteran passer has not given thought to his post-2024 plans at this point.

“I haven’t took my mind there yet,” Taylor said (via Andrew Crane of the New York Post). “I’m a big believer of being exactly where my feet is, and for me, that’s, right now, finishing off this season strong and being prepared if the opportunity presents itself… And then we’ll focus on next year after the season.”

Taylor spent the 2022 and ’23 seasons as the Giants’ backup, and in the wake of Daniel Jones‘ injury last year he saw five starts late in the campaign. That brings the 35-year-old’s total to 58 across his 93 regular season appearances, but his last extended run as a QB1 option came with the Bills in 2017. Teams may not view him as a preferred option atop their depth charts in 2025, but to no surprise Taylor did add he would welcome the chance to operate as a starter once again.

That could take shape in the form of a bridge-starter gig with the Jets provided they move on from Rodgers in the offseason. New York could be in the market for a rookie passer depending on the team’s final spot in the Day 1 order in particular, but options will be available in free agency as well. Making a long-term investment at the QB spot could open the door to Taylor remaining in place to at least begin the season as a starter, something he has done during previous stops in his career.

The Virginia Tech product is owed a base salary of $6MM next season, $2.5MM of which is guaranteed. That provides Taylor with a strong chance of remaining with the Jets for 2025, and it will be interesting to see if he is presented with the opportunity to once again see time as a starter.

Giants’ Offseason QB Pitch Highlighted Previous Backup Success

July 17th, 2024 at 8:53pm CST by Ely Allen

HBO’s Hard Knocks: Offseason continues to deliver nuggets of information and context that otherwise would not have been made available to the public. In the series’ most recent episode, we became privy to some details on the development of the Giants’ backup quarterback situation this offseason.

One area that the series shed light on was the departure of backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor. The show displayed that both general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll showed confidence that Taylor would re-sign with the team, while beat reporters like Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post and Dan Dugger of The Athletic were both under the impression that Taylor had no interest in staying with New York.

The team had turned to Taylor to start for an injured Daniel Jones in Week 6 of the 2023 season but saw Taylor exit with a rib injury three weeks later. Taylor would eventually return around Week 14, but the Giants made the decision to stick with undrafted rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito, who had gone 3-1 in four starts filling in for Jones and Taylor. Two weeks later, DeVito was benched in a second straight losing effort as Taylor retook the reins for the remainder of the season.

Dunleavy claimed that Taylor was “very disheartened by how last season played out after his injury,” leading to the assumption that the veteran was not interested in returning. Duggan echoed this sentiment, saying that he “got the sense that (Taylor) was ready to move on after how last season unfolded.” Taylor eventually signed with the Jets, opting to serve as the primary backup for another starter who spent most of last season on injured reserve.

Following the loss of Taylor, the team explored a number of options to replace him, clearly seeing a need for quality with Jones’ injury history. The series showed that veteran names like Sam Darnold and Joe Flacco were floated around the building before the team ultimately landed on Drew Lock as their target.

A couple of months ago, we touched on a rumor that Jones’ injury history was part of the pitch that lured Lock to New York, with the team pointing at the success that former backups like Taylor and Mitch Trubisky have had finding contracts following their time with the Giants. That was seemingly confirmed in this week’s episode, showing that, whereas other teams had tried to sell Lock a potentially unrealistic chance to start, New York touted their history of getting backup passers back on their feet.

Regardless of how they got there, both parties appear to be in a good place now. Lock stands a better chance at seeing the field in New York (based on Jones’ injury history), and the Giants now roster one of the league’s most promising young backups as their QB2.

Latest On Giants’ QB Situation

March 23rd, 2024 at 9:57am CST by Ben Levine

After the Giants poked around at the likes of Russell Wilson and landed on Drew Lock, there was some speculation that the organization could be looking to manufacture a QB competition. Seahawks GM John Schneider only fueled that fire earlier this week, telling Seattle Sports 710AM that the Giants lured Lock away from Seattle by selling the QB on the “opportunity to compete to be the starter.”

[RELATED: Giants To Sign QB Drew Lock]

Lock was quick to dismiss that notion. After inking his one-year deal with the Giants yesterday, the QB told reporters that it’s clearly been conveyed to him that Daniel Jones is the starter.

“Now, I need to come in and push Daniel to be the best that he can be,’’ Lock said (via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post). “I’ve had both sides of this. I’ve been the guy to push a starter, I’ve been the starter that’s being pushed by the backups. It’s about making that room the best it can be. If we can do that, the sky’s the limit for this team.’’

As Jeff Howe of The Athletic writes, it was likely Jones’ career-long injury issues and Brian Daboll‘s quarterback-friendly system that helped lure Lock to New York. Both Tyrod Taylor and Mitch Trubisky parlayed stints as Daboll’s QB2 into larger pay days, and Lock is surely hoping for the same outcome.

Lock could have an opportunity to start in 2024 as Jones continues to rehab a torn ACL that ended his 2023 season, but the new addition will simply be keeping the seat warm. That’s a big reason why the Giants didn’t end up adding Wilson to the mix; as Lowe reports, the Giants didn’t make the veteran QB “any promises about playing time.” The Giants also tried to retain Taylor, as Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda.com writes. Ultimately, Taylor was able to garner a higher offer from the Jets than what Lock settled for with the Giants.

While the Giants continue to give Jones a vote of confidence, that doesn’t mean the team is entirely comfortable with his future outlook. As Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports writes, Jones’ injury history has “shaken” the Giants’ faith in the franchise QB. The former first-round pick has only made it through one season unscathed, and that’s led the team to consider taking a quarterback in next month’s draft. Even after handing Jones a four-year, $160MM extension last offseason, the Giants have scouted many of the draft’s top quarterback prospects. If the organization does pull the trigger on a rookie signal-caller, that will only further cloud the team’s QB picture moving forward.

Contract Details: Young, Awuzie, Taylor, Rams, Cards, Chargers, 49ers, Lions, Texans

March 20th, 2024 at 10:12am CST by Sam Robinson

With free agency’s first wave in the rearview mirror, here is a look at some of the contracts authorized by teams in the days since the market opened:

  • Chidobe Awuzie, CB (Titans). Three years, $36MM. Contract includes $22.98MM guaranteed. Awuzie’s 2025 base salary ($11.49MM) is guaranteed for injury at signing, with $7.51MM of that total fully guaranteed. Awuzie being on Tennessee’s roster on April 1 of next year locks in the other $3.98MM. The veteran cornerback is a due a $1MM bonus on April 1, 2026, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.
  • Darious Williams, CB (Rams). Three years, $22.5MM. Commanding a market, the recent Jaguars cap casualty’s second Rams contract can be worth up to $30MM, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.
  • Chase Young, DE (Saints). One year, $13MM. The deal includes $7.99MM in per-game roster bonuses, CBS Sports Jonathan Jones notes. Including a $2.7MM base salary and a $1.86MM signing bonus, Young’s New Orleans pact is still heavily tilted toward games active. That will make the defensive end’s recovery from neck surgery worth monitoring more closely.
  • Tyrod Taylor, QB (Jets): Two years, $12MM. Taylor will see $8.5MM fully guaranteed, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan tweets. An additional $6MM in incentives are present in the veteran QB’s deal. Three void years are included here, dropping Taylor’s 2024 cap hit to $2.8MM.
  • DeeJay Dallas, RB (Cardinals): Three years, $8.25MM. Dallas will see $2.4MM guaranteed, Wilson tweets. The final two base salaries on this contract — both worth $2.4MM — are nonguaranteed. Rushing yards-based incentives run up to $750K per year in this deal.
  • Javon Kinlaw, DT (Jets): One year, $7.25MM. The ex-49ers first-rounder will receive a $5.5MM signing bonus, with KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson indicating the deal also includes $1.75MM in incentives.
  • Gus Edwards, RB (Chargers). Two years, $6.5MM. The ex-Ravens back will see $3.38MM guaranteed, Wilson tweets. Edwards’ $3MM 2025 base salary is nonguaranteed, with Wilson adding he is due a $125K roster bonus on Day 5 of the 2025 league year.
  • Noah Brown, WR (Texans): One year, $4MM. Brown re-signed with the Texans for $3MM guaranteed, per Wilson. The wideout’s second Houston contract can max out at $5MM.
  • Jon Feliciano, G (49ers). One year, $2.75MM. Feliciano will receive a $925K signing bonus, and Wilson adds $1.25MM in incentives are present in this accord.
  • Emmanuel Moseley, CB (Lions). One year, $1.13MM. Moseley will stay in Detroit for the veteran minimum, via the Detroit News’ Justin Rogers. Coming off a second ACL tear in two years, Moseley will receive a $1MM signing bonus. He received $6MM in 2023.

Jets To Sign QB Tyrod Taylor

March 11th, 2024 at 10:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

It is quite possible Tyrod Taylor will not have to change residences; he will merely switch locker rooms at MetLife Stadium. The Jets are adding the recent Giants backup, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.

Maligned for their quarterback plan behind Aaron Rodgers last year, the Jets will bring in a veteran QB2 in Taylor. The journeyman arm will slide in behind Rodgers, with the Jets on track to part ways with Zach Wilson soon. This will be Taylor’s seventh NFL team.

[RELATED: Jets Give Zach Wilson Permission To Seek Trade]

Not seeing much action in his first season with the Giants, Taylor became needed early in 2023. Daniel Jones battled a neck injury before going down with a torn ACL. While Tommy DeVito enjoyed a memorable stretch in relief of Jones — as Taylor sat healthy behind the rookie UDFA — the older backup closed the Giants’ season back under center. The Jets will hope Taylor does not have similar involvement in their 2024 season — as that could well mean a regime change — but they have one of the game’s most experienced QB2s ready to go in the event Rodgers suffers another injury.

Taylor, 34, is coming off a season in which a rib injury required hospitalization. This reminded of the lung puncture that ended his brief run as Chargers starter in 2020. The 2023 injury led to DeVito’s debut. Taylor later expressed disappointment he did not get the call upon returning from IR. But Brian Daboll moved him back into action on Christmas; the veteran ignited the Giants’ offense and started the final two games. For his career, Taylor now has 58 starts; he is 28-28-1 in those games.

The Ravens, Bills, Browns, Chargers, Texans, Giants and now Jets have employed the former sixth-round pick, who impressed a points during his previous AFC East cameo — a three-year starter stay in Buffalo. At a different point in his career, Taylor will come off the market and give the Jets better insurance — after Woody Johnson went so far as to say the 2023 team lacked a backup quarterback. Wilson remains on the Jets’ roster, but be it via trade or release, the former No. 2 overall pick will be gone soon.

Giants To Turn Back To Tyrod Taylor As Starting QB

December 27th, 2023 at 10:03am CST by Sam Robinson

After making a Christmas Day relief effort, Tyrod Taylor will return to action for the Giants. Brian Daboll confirmed the team will move Tommy DeVito back to the bench and go with Taylor against the Rams in Week 17.

The Giants had wanted to look at DeVito for a possible backup role down the line, and the team gave the popular rookie six starts. It took Taylor breaking four ribs to move DeVito into the lineup, though. Daniel Jones‘ top backup going into the past two seasons, Taylor lost his job to a rookie for a fourth time in six years. But the free agent-to-be will have a chance to continue his audition Sunday.

Numerous starters going down due to injury this season could make this an important audition for Taylor, should the NFL’s QB2 market balloon come 2024. Taylor joins a number of veteran backups headed for free agency. With the Giants not expected to re-sign the 13th-year veteran, he is set to continue submitting tape for other teams to evaluate.

Taylor, 34, expressed disappointment when the Giants activated him from IR and kept DeVito in place as their starter. A three-year Bills starter, Taylor has certainly grown accustomed to teams making similar choices. Baker Mayfield replaced him early in the 2018 season, and a pregame injection mishap led to Justin Herbert‘s rise in Los Angeles two years later. Davis Mills usurped Taylor with the Texans in 2021. DeVito represented the most unlikely candidate to jump Taylor on a depth chart, being a UDFA who had petitioned the NCAA for an extra year in college. That being denied led the ex-Illinois and Syracuse starter to the Big Apple.

Daboll initially did not let DeVito throw much once he replaced an injured Taylor against the Jets, but the second-year Giants HC soon loosened the reins. En route to a popularity surge, DeVito has quarterbacked the Giants to three wins. But he struggled in losses to the Saints and Eagles, taking sacks at a high rate as the Giants fell behind by multiple scores in each contest.

The Commanders’ decision to bench Sam Howell stands to be more important for the team’s post-2023 future. This DeVito benching likely does not affect a potential future starter. Jones has been expected to return as Big Blue’s starter for 2024, and the fifth-year veteran is aiming to recover from this ACL tear by training camp. That is not a lock, and GM Joe Schoen mentioned a QB addition as being necessary due to Jones’ injury.

It will be interesting to see how closely the Giants are linked to QB prospects in the draft, as Jones’ contract effectively ensures he will be a Giant in 2024. (The team currently sits fifth on the 2024 draft board.) DeVito can be kept through 2026, via ERFA and RFA tenders, but this benching makes it a bit early to project that far ahead regarding the local product.

Latest On Giants’ Tommy DeVito Plans

December 21st, 2023 at 11:23am CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints pumped the brakes on Tommy DeVito‘s recent run, sacking him seven times in a one-sided Week 15 loss. Absorbing a concerning number of sacks is nothing new for DeVito, but the Giants had entered their Superdome date on a three-game win streak.

Brian Daboll confirmed DeVito remains the team’s starter over Tyrod Taylor. The Giants activated Taylor from IR before their Week 14 win over the Packers but will continue to evaluate DeVito for 2024. With Taylor in the final weeks of his two-year Giants contract, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo notes (video link) the team is using this window to see if DeVito can be its backup next season.

DeVito’s recent stretch has complicated matters for the Giants. Following Daniel Jones‘ ACL tear, Taylor suffered four broken ribs. This left a UDFA rookie — one Daboll kept on a tight leash in an ugly loss to the Jets that featured almost nothing but handoffs on the Giants’ part — piloting a team that hovered near the top of the 2024 draft board. The ensuing three DeVito-quarterbacked wins leave the Giants at 5-9. The NFL has five 5-9 teams, creating a pivotal stretch — for draft positioning, at least — over the final three weeks. But the team is no longer a realistic candidate to land a top-two pick. This gives Jones a smoother runway toward a return as the Giants’ unquestioned starter.

DeVito is not a serious threat to supplant Jones, Garafolo adds, and the recently re-signed starter is aiming to return from his ACL tear by training camp. That would solve some problems for the Giants, who did not exactly see encouraging work from their $40MM-per-year passer before his injury. But GM Joe Schoen said the team would look to add a quarterback in the offseason. DeVito’s improvements may have adjusted the team’s thinking here, but with Taylor heading toward free agency, the team would at least need another arm for 2024. DeVito’s final games may determine if the Giants target a true backup option or a third-stringer-type presence.

Taylor has now been benched by four teams since 2018. The Browns sat their trade pickup for No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield, while the pregame injection snafu in Los Angeles introduced the NFL world to Justin Herbert in 2020. The Texans began their Deshaun Watson healthy-scratch year with Taylor under center, but Davis Mills eventually replaced him. Taylor had operated as Jones’ backup, but the rib injury brought in DeVito. Taylor expressed disappointment about Daboll’s decision, and the journeyman QB is expected to depart soon.

DeVito, who admittedly has just one 200-yard passing performance in five starts, showing enough to be considered a long-term QB2 would help the Giants a bit; he is tied to a league-minimum deal. DeVito’s extended look as a starter has also cost Taylor a bit of dough. Taylor carried $1MM in 2023 playing-time and performance incentives. Reaching the 40% and 50% snap thresholds would have provided him $250K apiece, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. A Taylor 92.5 passer rating and 65% completion rate would also lead to $250K apiece. The 34-year-old veteran, however, has only attempted 91 passes this season.

This surprising DeVito storyline came to fruition in part because he turned down opportunities to join the Commanders (as a UDFA) and the Patriots (as a practice squad arm post-training camp). The New Jersey native transferred from Syracuse to Illinois in 2022 and had hoped the NCAA would grant him a waiver to play in 2023, which would have made him a rare seventh-year senior. Once that did not go through, Illinois HC Bret Bielema — a Giants assistant under Joe Judge in 2020 — helped convince DeVito to turn down multiple other opportunities after the Giants waived him following training camp, the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy notes.

DeVito’s decision to stick around on the Giants’ practice squad could result in him becoming a long-term part of the team’s future, but he will probably need to impress over the team’s final three games to both hold off Taylor and show team brass he can be a true backup to Jones.

Giants Activate Tyrod Taylor; Tommy DeVito To Start In Week 14

December 11th, 2023 at 3:21pm CST by Adam La Rose

DECEMBER 11: Taylor will be in uniform Monday night. The Giants used one of their remaining injury activations to bring Taylor back onto the 53-man roster. Despite DeVito looking overmatched early in his starter run, the Giants have stuck with the rookie UDFA, who has shown some improvement. Taylor expressed disappointment about not returning to a starting role, but he will back up DeVito tonight against the Packers. The 34-year-old QB suffered four broken ribs earlier this season.

DECEMBER 5: While Taylor will likely be activated in time for the Giants’ upcoming Monday night game, head coach Brian Daboll said (via Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News) it will be DeVito starting for the fifth straight contest. The latter will receive at least one more look as a No. 1 to close out the season.

DECEMBER 4: The Giants will soon have a quarterback decision to make. Tyrod Taylor will be designated for return from injured reserve this week, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The move has indeed taken place today, per a team announcement.

The move will allow Taylor to return to the practice field as the Giants return from their bye week. The 34-year-old will have 21 days to be activated or revert to season-ending IR. With Daniel Jones out for the season, the Giants have been forced to rely on undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito over the past four games in the wake of Taylor’s rib injury. The latter is now set to return to the lineup in the near future, though.

It came out last month that Taylor expected to return to action after New York’s bye week, so today’s update comes as little surprise. The journeyman has made three starts in 2023, his second season with the Giants. Taylor – like each of the team’s other quarterbacks – was unable to guide New York to significant offensive production during his time at the helm, but he will provide experience and consistency in contrast to DeVito, who has gone 2-2 as a starter.

On the other hand, the latter could be deemed to have more upside than Taylor, a factor which could weigh into the Giants’ decision on their pecking order at the QB spot. The final weeks of a lost campaign could be used to evaluate DeVito, whose play over the past two weeks has been much better than his initial NFL action. The 25-year-old drew interest from at least two other teams after the draft, but his decision to sign with the Giants has proven to be a shrewd one so far.

Taylor is a pending free agent, so the final weeks of the season would give him an opportunity to boost his market on a new Giants pact or one which would send him elsewhere. DeVito could likewise play his way into the QB2 role for 2024 by continuing to show promise if he gets the nod to finish the campaign. New York has the ability to move on from Jones’ $160MM extension signed in March at the end of next year, so plenty of pressure will be on him to show improvement once he returns to action. How the team handles the backup spot will be a storyline to watch as well, though, with the upcoming Taylor-DeVito decision representing an important choice for the team in the immediate future.

NFL Injury Roundup: Jefferson, Herbert, Hamilton

December 10th, 2023 at 6:04pm CST by Ely Allen

Justin Jefferson‘s return from injured reserve may not last long. In Jefferson’s first game back from the IR-stint caused by a nagging hamstring injury, the Vikings wide receiver was knocked out of the game early with a separate injury.

While cutting across the middle of the field on a deep slant, Jefferson leapt up, arms extended, in an attempt to grab a high pass from quarterback Joshua Dobbs. While Jefferson was fully exposed in the process of the catch, Raiders safety Marcus Epps delivered a big shot to Jefferson’s rib cage from the side.

It didn’t take long for the team to rule Jefferson out for the remainder of the game with a chest injury. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Minnesota decided to transport Jefferson to a local hospital in Las Vegas. While perhaps not indicative of the worst-case scenario, the Vikings are likely just acting out of an abundance of caution.

At 6-6, the Vikings are one of a handful of NFC teams on the boundary of playoff contention, even without Jefferson for the last eight weeks. If Jefferson’s chest injury is not too painful to overcome, he would be a great asset in a playoff push to close the season.

Here are a few other injury updates from around the league:

  • The Chargers are facing an uphill battle in their attempts to remain in playoff contention. Things won’t get any easier as starting quarterback Justin Herbert was ruled out of today’s game with a finger injury, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. With Herbert out, backup quarterback Easton Stick has entered the game for his first game action since the 2020 season. Since starting in place of an injured Tyrod Taylor in Week 2 of his rookie season, Herbert has not missed a single start in his career. If Herbert’s finger keeps him out for more than a few days, with Los Angeles facing a short week, Stick could see his first ever NFL start in Vegas this Thursday.
  • Ravens do-it-all safety Kyle Hamilton was forced to leave today’s overtime win over the Rams with a knee injury. He had sat out a couple of plays after initially tweaking his knee before returning to the field of play earlier in the game. A few drives later, he would not return and was ruled out for the rest of the game. According to Schefter, the plan is for Hamilton to undergo an MRI scan tomorrow in order to determine the extent of the injury. Baltimore is set up well with Marcus Williams and Geno Stone at safety, but Hamilton lines up in so many places on the defense that he would be virtually impossible to replace with a single player if he’s forced to miss any time.

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Leonard, Cowboys, Giants, Commanders, Del Rio

December 6th, 2023 at 5:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Shaquille Leonard‘s free agency decision brought additional intrigue due to its NFC East-only nature, and Jerry Jones said during an interview with 105.3 The Fan (h/t The Athletic’s Jon Machota) the chase did not come down to money. The Colts still owe Leonard $6.1MM guaranteed for the rest of this year. The sixth-year linebacker will collect $416K in prorated base salary from the Eagles, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. That checks in above the veteran minimum, and Yates adds the Eagles included a $100K incentive and $17K per game in roster bonuses.

Leonard played 2 1/2 seasons on a five-year, $98.5MM accord — one that topped the ILB market until the Ravens’ Roquan Smith deal earlier this year — but saw two 2022 back surgeries impact his career. Visiting both the Cowboys and Eagles (ahead of the NFC East powers’ rematch Sunday), Leonard said (via AllPhly.com’s Zach Berman) his bond with Nick Sirianni played a key role in the Eagles choice. Sirianni was the Colts’ OC from 2018-20, Leonard’s first three NFL seasons (all of which resulted in All-Pro honors). He will attempt to recapture that form ahead of another free agency run in 2024.

Here is the latest from the NFC East:

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