Backup QB

[Pugger]

Nope. Ridder has been released.

Packers release QB Desmond Ridder

Ridder was signed on New Year’s Eve of 2025. His release comes as a corresponding roster move to Tyrod Taylor’s signing

www.acmepackingcompany.com

This surprised me a little. Taylor is a nice backup but is getting a long in the tooth...

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

This surprised me a little. Taylor is a nice backup but is getting a long in the tooth...

My guess is that Taylor is viewed as a better QB than Ridder. As well as a guy that will probably be a good mentor for Jordan. There is something to be said about having experience in the QB room, even if it isn't on the field. He can help scout the opposing defenses and prepare Jordan for what he will be facing.

I like the move. Let's face it, if Jordan goes down for an extended period of time, the season is probably over, whether you have Taylor or Ridder at QB.

 

[Magooch]

My guess is that Taylor is viewed as a better QB than Ridder. As well as a guy that will probably be a good mentor for Jordan. There is something to be said about having experience in the QB room, even if it isn't on the field. He can help scout the opposing defenses and prepare Jordan for what he will be facing.

I like the move. Let's face it, if Jordan goes down for an extended period of time, the season is probably over, whether you have Taylor or Ridder at QB.

Bingo. Malik was great fun and all but we should admit we got lucky there. All this hemming and hawing over your backup QB....at the end of the day, for almost every team in the league the expectation for backup QB is basically "just steady the ship enough that we don't sink until our starter returns" - and in the same way, 9 times out of 10, if your starter goes out for a long term injury, your season's over. If Jordan does his ACL in week 3, odds are that it doesn't matter if it's Taylor or Ridder or Drones or Tune or Clifford or Benkert or whoever we found.

Even managing a 50% win percentage is ELITE for a backup QB. Historically, the average is more like 30% or thereabouts. A guy like Willis is obviously great if you can luck into them...but those type of guys are far and away the exception to the rule. If you think Taylor can get you anywhere near 50% win percentage, that's almost certainly an improvement on your typical backup QB.

So I mean....on one hand, I get it. Every percentage in your favor counts and you want to maximize the talent at your disposal. But in discussing backup QBs... I guess the bottom line for me is this:

1. In most cases, with a short-term injury to your starter, your backup QB's job is basically to stop the bleeding and ensure your season isn't torpedoed. For MOST situations, the difference between backup QB options is simply not that great. There are Willis-level outliers but the great majority are not that type of player. Most backup-level QBs are pretty close to each other.

2. In most cases, with a long-term injury to your starter, you're probably screwed and it won't make a huge difference who your backup QB is.

The only kind of related argument I see is for cases where you feel you have a backup with "developmental potential" that you can parlay into draft capital down the line, but that's kinda having your cake and eating it too I think lol

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Bingo. Malik was great fun and all but we should admit we got lucky there. All this hemming and hawing over your backup QB....at the end of the day, for almost every team in the league the expectation for backup QB is basically "just steady the ship enough that we don't sink until our starter returns" - and in the same way, 9 times out of 10, if your starter goes out for a long term injury, your season's over. If Jordan does his ACL in week 3, odds are that it doesn't matter if it's Taylor or Ridder or Drones or Tune or Clifford or Benkert or whoever we found.

Even managing a 50% win percentage is ELITE for a backup QB. Historically, the average is more like 30% or thereabouts. A guy like Willis is obviously great if you can luck into them...but those type of guys are far and away the exception to the rule. If you think Taylor can get you anywhere near 50% win percentage, that's almost certainly an improvement on your typical backup QB.

So I mean....on one hand, I get it. Every percentage in your favor counts and you want to maximize the talent at your disposal. But in discussing backup QBs... I guess the bottom line for me is this:

1. In most cases, with a short-term injury to your starter, your backup QB's job is basically to stop the bleeding and ensure your season isn't torpedoed. For MOST situations, the difference between backup QB options is simply not that great. There are Willis-level outliers but the great majority are not that type of player. Most backup-level QBs are pretty close to each other.

2. In most cases, with a long-term injury to your starter, you're probably screwed and it won't make a huge difference who your backup QB is.

The only kind of related argument I see is for cases where you feel you have a backup with "developmental potential" that you can parlay into draft capital down the line, but that's kinda having your cake and eating it too I think lol

Agree.

Teams not paying their starting QB a ton of money can afford to spend a lot more money on a guy that might be a backup for some teams or even press for the starting job. Malik was a gift and it turned out well for both him and the Packers. Anthony Richardson might have been a "Malik type of guy", but didn't want the Packers trading too much away for him, as well as have to pay him the almost $11M on his contract. Better to use that draft pick and money on other positions, we have our starter and will live or die with him.

I think the biggest mistake you can make at QB is what we saw the Vikings do last season. Give the ball and a good team over to basically an unproven Rookie QB, with nobody of importance to back him up. McCarthy sunk a previous 14-3 team pretty quickly.

 

[milani]

My guess is that Taylor is viewed as a better QB than Ridder. As well as a guy that will probably be a good mentor for Jordan. There is something to be said about having experience in the QB room, even if it isn't on the field. He can help scout the opposing defenses and prepare Jordan for what he will be facing.

I like the move. Let's face it, if Jordan goes down for an extended period of time, the season is probably over, whether you have Taylor or Ridder at QB.

True. And if it happens in a playoff or playoff implicating game, the experience may be the one way to win a game. Who can read and react to a blitz. Bart Starr was the QB in all of Lombardi's playoff games except one. That was the 1965 playoff vs. the Colts. Starr went down on the first play. Old Zeke Bratkowski came in and played the rest of the way. Not a great performance but adequate enough to bring the team back from a 10-0 deficit including the game tying and game winning drives.

 

[OldSchool101]

Just checked Tyrods’ last 3 years. Looks like his Runs are solid.
68 Rushes for 353 yards and 5.19 per

I did hear recently (I think it was Luke Getsy) that Taylor still has some juice. Now maybe he’s not 21yr old Level, but 5.19 per rush with adequate and recent samples matches his quickness rhetoric going around.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Bingo. Malik was great fun and all but we should admit we got lucky there. All this hemming and hawing over your backup QB....at the end of the day, for almost every team in the league the expectation for backup QB is basically "just steady the ship enough that we don't sink until our starter returns" - and in the same way, 9 times out of 10, if your starter goes out for a long term injury, your season's over. If Jordan does his ACL in week 3, odds are that it doesn't matter if it's Taylor or Ridder or Drones or Tune or Clifford or Benkert or whoever we found.

Even managing a 50% win percentage is ELITE for a backup QB. Historically, the average is more like 30% or thereabouts. A guy like Willis is obviously great if you can luck into them...but those type of guys are far and away the exception to the rule. If you think Taylor can get you anywhere near 50% win percentage, that's almost certainly an improvement on your typical backup QB.

So I mean....on one hand, I get it. Every percentage in your favor counts and you want to maximize the talent at your disposal. But in discussing backup QBs... I guess the bottom line for me is this:

1. In most cases, with a short-term injury to your starter, your backup QB's job is basically to stop the bleeding and ensure your season isn't torpedoed. For MOST situations, the difference between backup QB options is simply not that great. There are Willis-level outliers but the great majority are not that type of player. Most backup-level QBs are pretty close to each other.

2. In most cases, with a long-term injury to your starter, you're probably screwed and it won't make a huge difference who your backup QB is.

The only kind of related argument I see is for cases where you feel you have a backup with "developmental potential" that you can parlay into draft capital down the line, but that's kinda having your cake and eating it too I think lol

All good points. And looking back at Willis' time in GB, he was only needed in a handful of games and he performed above expectations (for a backup).

But what would have happened if Love was lost for a season? Would Willis have kept them at or near the same win % as Love?

I doubt it. The Packers did get lucky with Willis. I'm fine with Taylor given his ability to run.

 

[milani]

Just checked Tyrods’ last 3 years. Looks like his Runs are solid.
68 Rushes for 353 yards and 5.19 per

I did hear recently (I think it was Luke Getsy) that Taylor still has some juice. Now maybe he’s not 21yr old Level, but 5.19 per rush with adequate and recent samples matches his quickness rhetoric going around.

I believe Gute and MLF wanted a mobile backup no matter what. A pocket passer can run the offense but being able to extend plays becomes so necessary when you are not as familiar with the offense and its players.

 

[Heyjoe4]

True. And if it happens in a playoff or playoff implicating game, the experience may be the one way to win a game. Who can read and react to a blitz. Bart Starr was the QB in all of Lombardi's playoff games except one. That was the 1965 playoff vs. the Colts. Starr went down on the first play. Old Zeke Bratkowski came in and played the rest of the way. Not a great performance but adequate enough to bring the team back from a 10-0 deficit including the game tying and game winning drives.

Zeke the Antique. He was a very good backup for Starr.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Yup. I think it was a good signing, depending of course on how much it cost the Packers. I would hope it was less than $3M for the season, with some incentives, but in this crazy NFL world, you never know.

At least for now, they can cross off "#2 QB" on their list of things to do before September.

Contract numbers released:

According to Spotrac, the one-year deal signed by Taylor is worth a value of $2.5 million, with a $700,000 signing bonus, $500,000 available in incentives and a 2026 cap number of $2.88 million.

The signing bonus is the only guaranteed money in the deal. Taylor can also make $500,000 in total per-game roster bonuses, but only $388253 will count against the cap in 2026. His base salary will be $1,300,000, the minimum for a player with 10 or more accrued seasons.

 

[Curly Calhoun]

Contract numbers released:

According to Spotrac, the one-year deal signed by Taylor is worth a value of $2.5 million, with a $700,000 signing bonus, $500,000 available in incentives and a 2026 cap number of $2.88 million.

The signing bonus is the only guaranteed money in the deal. Taylor can also make $500,000 in total per-game roster bonuses, but only $388253 will count against the cap in 2026. His base salary will be $1,300,000, the minimum for a player with 10 or more accrued seasons.

Nice article on Taylor as the backup QB over on cheeseheadtv - a worthwhile read on how the Packers philosophy regarding the position has evolved.