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Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The current vibe in the New York Jets‘ quarterback room is something Aaron Rodgers never has experienced before.
“It’s way different,” he said.
For a change, Rodgers gets to hang out with a teammate his own age — well, not exactly, but close enough since they were both born in the 1980s at least. Tyrod Taylor being 35 is a stark change for Rodgers, who turns 41 in December and has spent the latter half of his career surrounded by 20-something-year-olds.
From 2016 to 2023, Rodgers’ primary backups ranged in age from 22 to 25 — chronologically: Brett Hundley, DeShone Kizer, Tim Boyle and Jordan Love with the Green Bay Packers and Zach Wilson with the Jets. Over the first half of his career, his backups ranged from 23 to 29 — Matt Flynn, Graham Harrell and Scott Tolzien.
The average age of Rodgers’ top backups? 24.8.
Then along came Taylor, who, unlike Rodgers’ most recent backups, is old enough to actually have a conversation on what life was like before smartphones — or any other cultural or technological subject that predated Generation Z, for that matter.
“It’s been a lot of fun having a backup who’s in his mid-30s,” Rodgers said, smiling.
They like to have fun. Taylor is the resident fashionista, which provides fodder for good-natured razzing. It sounds like Rodgers is a bit envious of Taylor’s style, saying, “He wakes up and he’s got drip, I think they call it. He’s got a lot of swag.”
Taylor also has a lot of experience, which is a game changer for Rodgers. With a peer in the room, he can lean on Taylor for feedback, knowing he has seen just about everything in the NFL. This is Taylor’s seventh team in 14 seasons, which means he has been exposed to a variety of offensive systems. He has 59 career starts, far more than any of Rodgers’ previous backups.
The ever-inquisitive Rodgers is smart enough to recognize a valuable resource, so he tries to tap into Taylor’s wealth of knowledge. They’ve been together for only a few months, but Rodgers’ respect for his new teammate is obvious.
“It helps having a guy who has played so much because he can see things through a different lens, because he’s been around for so long,” Rodgers said. “He has no obligation to do that for me; he’s just a great teammate. So we both help each other out.
“It’s like a shared understanding of sincerity that we just both really want the other person to see what we’re seeing. So if he says something to me, I take it as gospel because he knows what he’s talking about and he knows [it’s the] same for me.”
A year ago, after his trade from the Packers to the Jets, Rodgers wore many hats: quarterback, teacher, mentor, you name it. Part of his job description was tutoring Wilson, the former No. 2 overall pick who was demoted to backup after two disappointing seasons.
As it turned out, Wilson — pressed into starting duty after Rodgers’ season-ending Achilles injury in Week 1 — played his way off the roster and was traded to the Denver Broncos this offseason. Focused on upgrading the QB2 spot, the Jets signed Taylor to a two-year, $12 million contract, including a relatively large guarantee — $8.5 million.
“A great signing for the Jets,” said former Jets and Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan, who coached Taylor in 2015 and 2016 in Buffalo — his best statistical seasons. “He’s the best backup in the league. Easily.”
It changed the dynamic in the quarterback room. There’s still plenty of youth — rookies Jordan Travis (injured), Andrew Peasley and Adrian Martinez — but now they have two Yodas, not one. Instead of bombarding Rodgers with questions, the rookies can go to Taylor, too.
The most important relationship, though, is between Rodgers and Taylor.
Former Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers guard Willie Colon witnessed a similar dynamic in Pittsburgh, where Ben Roethlisberger had veteran backup Charlie Batch at his side from 2004 to 2012. Even as an established star, Roethlisberger still benefited from Batch’s experience, according to Colon.
“It’s different when the guy next to you isn’t necessarily gunning for your job, but is really trying to make you better,” Colon said. “It just worked. You can put on the film, and you’ll always see Ben and Charlie meeting each other during a timeout. There was a lot of dialogue about situations and what’s coming at you, what happened on the play before, this is what they’re looking to do.
“It’s like having that fighter to cornerman type of mentality. Ben had that with Charlie. The fact that Aaron has that with Tyrod — or at least I hope they have that type of relationship — can only help the offense evolve.”
With 33 years of combined NFL experience in the quarterback room — no other team has that between its top two — the conversations are next-level, according to passing game coordinator Todd Downing.
“We definitely try to have discussion-oriented room more than just a true teaching environment because I’d be a fool to not rely on some of the wisdom that those guys have,” Downing said. “It’s a pretty cool thing for me as a coach to be able to open that up for dialogue and for different experiences that those guys have gone through.”
It works because Taylor understands and accepts his role. He was the Houston Texans‘ opening-day starter in 2021 before injuries derailed his season, but he moved into a backup role with the New York Giants — whom the Jets will face Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network) as they try to end the preseason undefeated — in 2022 and 2023. He has had opportunities over the years, but they’ve been snuffed out by ill-timed injuries.
Today, he’s embracing his role and says it’s “refreshing” not to be the oldest quarterback on the roster, adding that it’s been “fun” getting to know Rodgers.
“I’m impressed by a lot,” Taylor said, “but I’m most impressed by his leadership.”
Not to mention his sense of humor.
Rodgers said he teases Taylor about his passion for fashion, and he gets it right back. Just recently, wide receiver Garrett Wilson razzed Rodgers, asking why he doesn’t dress more like Taylor.
“I said, ‘I can’t do it, that’s just not me,'” Rodgers said with a laugh. “But I love working with Tyrod. He’s got a lot of great stories, a lot of mutual friends, a lot of shared experiences over the years.”