GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Two things can be true when it comes to Tyrod Taylor's NFL career: He probably never imagined that he'd play this long in the NFL, but he also never thought it would be this hard to get back to a Super Bowl after making it to one as a backup in his second season.
The Green Bay Packers not only have given him a chance to play a 16th season but perhaps to cap his career with Super Bowl. In exchange, the team hopes Taylor can provide valuable insurance, in case they need their backup quarterback to play, but also impart his years of NFL wisdom to Jordan Love, who is entering his fourth season as the Packers' starter.
"Sixteen years in, I was fortunate enough to be part of a Super Bowl winning team in Year 2," Taylor said of the 2012 season with the Baltimore Ravens. "Over the course of the career, you realize how hard it is to get back. You definitely try to look for teams that have the best talent, but that doesn't always win championships as well. It's about the nucleus. It's about the chemistry. Obviously it's about staying healthy.
"Every team, this time of year, feels they have the pieces to do so. It's about putting in the work, day in and day out, keeping the right mindset. I think the guys in this locker room have the right mindset to achieve what we all want to achieve."
With Malik Willis leaving for Miami as a free agent, Green Bay brought in Tyrod Taylor, above, to back up Jordan Love. John Fisher/Getty Images Taylor arrived in Green Bay in early May after signing a one-year, $2.5 million contract that included a $700,000 signing bonus. That's on the low end of the salary scale for an NFL backup, but Taylor has not been a regular starter since the 2017 season with the Bills. In all, he has played in 100 games for seven teams and has made 62 starts since he entered the league as a sixth-round pick in 2011.
It marks the first time that Love has had someone older than him as a backup.
"Tyrod is a pro, he's a vet, he's been at it for a long time, so it's nice to have a guy in the room that's played a lot of ball," Love said recently during the offseason program. "He's been in a lot of different offenses and just somebody that you can piggyback off and pick his brain. You know, what are you seeing out there? What am I seeing? Those kind of things and just have those conversations. Tyrod's been great. He's a pro. Just the way he handles his business, comes into the building and just goes about his work. It's cool to watch, and it will be great to have him around all season."