Getty New York Jets quarterback Tyrod Taylor warming up in the middle of a practice session.
We already knew that the New York Jets signed former New York Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor during free agency.
However the new offseason edition of “Hard Knocks” provided some interesting new details in episode 3 on Tuesday, July 16.
During the legal tampering period, Giants GM Joe Schoen had a one-on-one conversation with head coach Brian Daboll about the team’s plans for the quarterback position on the open market.
Schoen tells Daboll that Taylor “is their No. 1 backup [quarterback option].”
Schoen then starts going through all of the potential options in free agency. He mentioned Gardner Minshew, Drew Lock, and Sam Darnold. After going through all of those names and what they could cost, Daboll responds, “I would take Tyrod over all of these guys.”
Schoen then says, “We’ll try to get Tyrod done right now.”
They never did. Instead, Taylor ended up choosing the Jets.
Taylor Was One of the Most Important Additions to the Jets
After the absolute disaster that was the 2023 season, the Jets had to do everything in their power to upgrade the backup quarterback position.
General manager Joe Douglas was aggressive in making sure he landed his guy in Taylor. It required a two-year deal for $12 million, $6 million annual salary, and it included $8.5 million in total guarantees.
That new deal put Taylor among the highest-paid backup quarterbacks in football, per Over The Cap.
Consider that course correction after the Jets gave the No. 2 quarterback job to Zach Wilson last offseason. Spoiler alert, it didn’t go well and the season collapsed very quickly after Aaron Rodgers blew out his Achilles.
The Jets are hoping Taylor ends up being the equivalent of volcano insurance. What are the chances a volcano erupts in the middle of an NFL season? Probably not likely, but if it happens the Jets will be protected from the worst possible case scenario.
Also, it’s worth noting that not all injuries are season-ending. What if Rodgers misses a handful of games with a minor injury? Last season the Jets would essentially be giving up on those games based on their backup quarterback situation. Taylor gives the team a fighting chance in 2024.
Jets Also Lost a Few Battles to the Giants in Free Agency
The green and white didn’t get everything on their Christmas list on the open market.
Schoen revealed on “Hard Knocks” that the Jets were chasing two of the same players the Giants were.
Those two players were offensive linemen Jon Runyan formerly of the Green Bay Packers and Jermaine Eluemunor of the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Hard Knocks” revealed the Jets contractual offer to Runyan which was a two-year deal, $9 million per year, with $17 million guaranteed.
A member of the Giants told Schoen that if they wanted to land Runyan then they would have to “beat” the Jets’ offer because of the connection to Aaron Rodgers – Nathaniel Hackett.
Schoen contemplated things at his desk for a few moments before telling a member of the Giants front office to match the Jets’ guarantees for the Runyan contract offer. It ended up being a three-year deal, $10 million per year, and the same $17 million in guarantees.
We didn’t hear the same level of detail on how the Giants were able to convince Eluemunor to pick them over the Jets. Eluemunor signed a two-year deal for $14 million, $7 million per year, and that included $6.75 million in total guarantees.