The Green Bay Packers went from having one of the best backup quarterbacks in the game to replacing him with an underwhelming veteran. Malik Willis earned a big payday after two strong seasons with Matt LaFleur's team, and there weren't many avenues for an upgrade this offseason.
Ultimately, general manager Brian Gutekunst settled for Tyrod Taylor. He's a proven veteran with extensive experience as a starter and a backup, so they definitely could've done worse in their pursuit of Jordan Love's backup.
Nevertheless, this was a major downgrade from their previous situation. As Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano points out, Taylor is the definition of 'average,' ranking him No. 16 among the league's 32 backup quarterbacks.
The Packers' backup QB situation could come back to haunt them
"Taylor is the perfect median for backup quarterbacks. He’s not a gunslinger, but his coaches love how he prioritizes playing under structure and protecting the football. There’s not much coaches hate more than a chaotic backup not sticking to the plays called. The mild-mannered Taylor never threw more than six interceptions in the three seasons he started for the Bills between 2015 and ’17," wrote Manzano.
Jordan Love has been a durable player for most of his career. He's tough and plays through bumps and bruises. That said, this is the National Football League, and all players are one snap away from missing time -- potentially even the season.
The Packers play in the most competitive division in professional football. As they've found out the hard way, a single win could be the difference between winning the divisional pennant and not even making the playoffs, and they'll have a brutal schedule in 2026.
We've seen teams like the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals spend big bucks to ensure their backup quarterback situations are in order. It's not a coincidence to see the likes of Joe Flacco and Mac Jones lead the backup quarterback rankings at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.
Taylor can certainly lead a team to a win or two, but what if there's a lengthy absence? He hasn't fared well as a starter, and it's hard to trust him to be much better at this point in his career. Matt LaFleur tends to be way too conservative as it is, and having a quarterback who refuses to go off-script and make plays might only hamper this offense.
The Packers' offseason has been rather underwhelming, and while this team wasn't that far from Super Bowl contention, the devil is in the details, and there's no such thing as a minor move for a contender. They could've done worse with this signing, but with guys like Justin Fields, Anthony Richardson, or Spencer Rattler potentially available, it would've been nice to see them swing for the fences for a change.
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