Former Virginia Tech QB Tyrod Taylor signs lucrative deal with new NFL team

The New York Giants just reached a two-year deal with longtime NFL veteran and former Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Taylor was originally selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2011 role, where he would spend his first four years in the NFL in a backup role for Joe Flacco.

While he’s spent several years with multiple teams trying to catch on as a starter, a mix of injuries and bad luck have ended with Taylor on the bench. He was brought in to lead the Houston Texans last year but a Week 3 injury opened the door for Stanford rookie Davis Mills. The former Hokie spent two seasons with the Chargers, and was named the starter when Phillip Rivers retired but team doctor accidentally punctured his lung with a pain-killing shot while attempting to treat a rib injury before the Week 2 game.

Justin Herbert took the helm and he rest is history.

Heading into his 12th season, Tyrod Taylor is being well compensated — and while this time around he knows he’s going in as the backup — the situation is almost reversed to the ones he’s dealt with at his last two NFL stops. The New York Giants inked a deal that shows Taylor is clearly an option to start if former first-round pick Daniel Jones can’t ever find his groove, while also serving as a traditional backup in the meantime.

*$8.5 million guaranteed….

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2022

ESPN noted the Giants brass took a run at Mitchell Trubisky, who signed a two-year deal to likely be the starter in Pittsburgh, at the beginning of free agency

In 78 career games (53 starts), Taylor, who was named to the Pro Bowl in 2015, has completed 61.3% of his passes for 10,736 yards, 59 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. He’s also rushed the ball 361 times for 2,001 yards and 19 touchdowns a trait that Jones has showcased.

Taylor’s contract is obviously a significant investment and one that makes sense given what occurred in 2021 when Jones went down and the Giants imploded. It’s wasn’t the starter-level investment Trubisky commanded, but it’s still indicates a level of commitment from the New York Giants.

New York Giants make key decision on Daniel Jones

At the start of the month, the Giants have made a decision on what to do about quarterback Daniel Jones, and whether or not to pick up his fifth-year option. According to NFL journalist G.T. Bobby Thompson, New York won’t be picking up the option on the former Duke quarterback.

“#Giants are not expected to pick up QB Daniel Jones fifth-year option by the may deadline (@ESPN first),” tweeted Thompson.

The future of Jones has been the biggest question regarding the tough decisions facing the new brain trust of the New York Giants. Going on his third head coach and coming off a huge injury, the risk outweighs the reward of picking up Jones‘ option.

While the former Duke quarterback has shown numerous flashes, he’s also shown incompetence at times. For every beautiful touchdown pass that Jones makes, it feels like a head-scratching mistake follows. However, playing behind one of the league’s worst offensive lines has been theorized as the main culprit.

Still, it’s evident the Giants are entering a make-or-break season with Daniel Jones. If he performs well, the team could work out a long-term deal, or franchise tag the quarterback. If not, his time in New York will come to an unceremonious end.

After the hiring of general manager Joe Schoen, Giants team president John Mara spoke about his belief in Daniel Jones.

“We do feel that Daniel can play,” stated Mara on the team’s faith in Jones. “We’ve done everything possible to screw this kid up since he’s been here. We keep changing coaches, keep changing offensive coordinators, keep changing offensive line coaches. I take a lot of responsibility for that.

“But let’s bring in the right group of coaches now and give him some continuity and try to rebuild the offensive line and then be able to make an intelligent evaluation of whether he can be the franchise quarterback or not. I have a lot of hope in Daniel, and I know how badly he wants it. I know how the players feel about him. We are certainly not giving up on him by any stretch of the imagination.”

The New York Giants have the fifth pick in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft, and quarterbacks Matt Corral and Kenny Pickett are available if they felt the need to move on from Jones after three seasons. However, Mara’s comments appear to indicate that the Giants don’t have that option in mind just yet.

Jones has a record of 12-25 as the quarterback of the Giants while dealing with massive overturn in his coaching staff. After a seemingly impressive rookie debut, Jones has thrown only 21 touchdowns and 17 interceptions over the past two seasons.

Whether the Giants are truly on board with Jones or if they just don’t feel there’s a better quarterback or prospect available to them, Mara’s comments claim that the team’s current focus will be on coaching stability and a rebuild of their offensive line.