The Packers made a couple backup quarterback moves on Monday, starting with signing veteran Tyrod Taylor, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported. The 36-year-old most recently spent two seasons with the Jets, starting in four games last season.
Green Bay will mark the ninth NFL team Taylor’s played for in his career. He notably was the Bills’ starting quarterback from 2015 to ’17 before the team drafted Josh Allen in ‘18.
Taylor’s signing is a delayed response to backup Malik Willis landing with the Dolphins in March. Willis is the projected starter in Miami now.
In response to signing Taylor, the Packers subsequently released Desmond Ridder, who was acquired by the team on Dec. 31 when starter Jordan Love and Willis were dealing with injuries. He didn’t appear in any games last season either on the Vikings or the Packers.
Ridder’s career has gone downhill since he had his one main starting season in Atlanta in 2023. He went 6–7 that season, but the Falcons traded him in 2024 in order to sign Kirk Cousins to the squad, which ended up being a failed experiment. Ridder’s still looking to find a secure home in the NFL.
With all these quarterback moves on Monday, here’s a look at the team’s updated quarterback depth chart.
Updated Packers quarterback depth chart
- QB1: Jordan Love
- QB2: Tyrod Taylor
- QB3: Kyle McCord
Love is locked in as the Packers’ starting quarterback for a fourth season in a row. But, the departure of Willis left a gap at the backup position. Willis had to step in a couple times last season as Love dealt with injuries, and Green Bay needed another solid option in the QB2 position in case that happens again. Taylor’s got plenty of experience to fill that role.
McCord is entering his second season in the NFL, but he has yet to make his debut on the field.
With Taylor’s signing on Monday, a quote from Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst resurfaced from after the draft. The team was prioritizing finding a strong backup for Love.
“It's a really important thing for us,” Gutekunst said, via ESPN. “Jordan, the last two years has missed some time, and we've needed somebody to come in there and play at a high level to help win those games. So, whoever's called upon we're going to expect that and when you lose a guy like Malik, it is something you're going to have to replace, and we're going to try to do that."
Revisiting Malik Willis’s 2025 season with Packers
Love missed three games last season because of a concussion and left shoulder issues. In that time, Willis stepped up and started, going 2–1. In that span, Willis completed 85.7% of his passes for 422 yards and three touchdowns. He impressed Packers fans and other teams across the league with his breakout performances off the bench.
After the Dolphins released Tua Tagovailoa this offseason, the team looked to Willis as a potential replacement at the starting position. Willis signed a three-year deal with Miami and will compete to earn the starting role there. It definitely made more sense for Willis to land where he could actually compete for QB1 since that wasn’t an option for him in Green Bay.
How Tyrod Taylor fared with Jets in 2025
After Justin Fields started the 2025 season going 2–8, Jets coach Aaron Glenn decided to bench Fields in favor for Tyrod Taylor. He started in four games, appearing in six, and unfortunately went 1–3 in New York. Taylor threw for 779 passing yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions. His season ended prematurely when he suffered a groin injury on Dec. 7.
Needless to say, Taylor’s time in New York wasn’t a highlight of his long NFL career by any means. Hopefully he’ll get a fresh start in Green Bay and can work on improving his skills in case Love goes down again and he’s needed to fill in.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Packers Signed Tyrod Taylor, and How It Impacts Their QB Room.
