On the one hand, ask Tyrod Taylor what he brings to the table at almost 35 years of age, in his 14th NFL season as an NFL quarterback — and just starting his first on the Jets' QB Depth chart — and he'll tell you. Not in a brash or trash-talky way, but just because that's the way it is.
"Accurate deep-ball passer, still mobile and can extend plays," Taylor said, giving a scouting report of himself to Eric Allen on this week's Official Jets Podcast. "I think the true definition of a dual-threat quarterback."
With those skills, he's chalked up, among other achievements, one of the best touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio in the game, which speaks to other qualities that he brings to the Green & White.
"As a quarterback, you have to be a leader, you have to be able to perform under pressure, and you have to be a guy that the team, the coaches, the organization can count on in crunch time. On the field you truly have to be a dependable person.
"There are other factors that go into quarterback play, but those three speak out to me."
Having said all that, and as much as Taylor likes his new Jets situation, it doesn't appear likely that he'll take over the starting reins as he did with the Bills from 2015-17 because of, well, Aaron Rodgers.
Yet that doesn't faze the unflappable Taylor one bit. For one thing, he is an ARod Admirer.
"He ranks very high on my list of quarterbacks, one of my faves," Taylor said. "I have a ton of respect for Aaron, I'm a big fan of his game, and I'm looking forward to being able to learn from him and work alongside him."
Taylor can survive and thrive no matter what the situation because of a fourth factor for QBs, something he spoke of several times with Allen: commitment.
"Just staying committed to the process," he said. "My time in Baltimore, I didn't get a chance to play as much as I wanted, but I had a chance to learn from a veteran group of guys. I walked into a locker room with Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Joe Flacco, who wasn't a veteran at the time but I learned a lot from him, Anquan Boldin. I made a lot of friends that I still have to this day.
"But I look back on that time and those four years prepared me for the opportunity I had in Buffalo, and from there, it's staying committed, not necessarily getting discouraged about the downs of an NFL season or career, but just going out and playing at a high level whenever the opportunity presents itself."
The physical and mental elements of Taylor's game have brought him to the Jets in 2024. And besides the fact that he won't have to "change places" for his move from the Giants last year to One Jets Drive now, he is one more newcomer to the Jets who likes the players and the processes he sees around him.
He's intrigued by the thoughts of working with WR Garrett Wilson and RB Breece Hall — "Get the ball in their hands and it can be a big play waiting to happen," he said — but there's more. Rodgers, of course, but the reworked offensive line and that whole unit on the other side of the ball.
"It's a very talented roster," Taylor said. "Obviously there were some injuries last year that you can't control, but I believe everything is in house to be able to achieve what every NFL team is trying to achieve, which is a Super Bowl. It's early right now and there are a lot of steps to get to that, but I believe this team is capable of achieving that goal with the right work."
And Taylor has already recommitted himself, to his seventh NFL team in his circuitous yet still successful career, and to the work that needs to be done as he backs up one of the best QBs in the game. His mindset, he said, "is being able to assist Aaron in any capacity, but also staying ready for the opportunity if it presents itself, while at the same time being able to offer my leadership and my knowledge that I've accumulated over the years to the younger guys within that locker room.
"My goal is to just help in any capacity that I can."
