Tyrod Taylor
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants are inking quarterback Tyrod Taylor to a multi-year deal.

Tyrod Taylor is becoming a New York Giant.

If I said those words six or seven years ago, you probably would’ve looked at me as if I had eight heads.

But that wouldn’t be the reasonable response right now.

The Giants needed a legitimate, experienced, serviceable backup quarterback for Daniel Jones. And after missing out on Mitch Trubisky, agreeing to terms with Tyrod Taylor is a decision that totally makes sense.

Because Taylor has started a playoff game before. He’s been a Pro Bowl signal-caller as well, and he’s been a starter for multiple years in this league across multiple teams, including the Texans, Browns, and Bills.

The Giants required someone like that in the building to push Daniel Jones to compete in training camp. After seeing what Mike Glennon and Jake Fromm brought to the table in 2021, it was clear the backup quarterback role was an important position to address in free agency. During those six games in which Jones was out with a neck injury last year, the overall performance from Big Blue was the most brutal I’ve seen in this last half-decade of losing (and boy, have there been some putrid performances since 2017).

Taylor brings experience; competency; knowledge of the game; competition for Jones; the ability to produce both through the air and on the ground — this decision to sign him is totally logical.

But that doesn’t mean every single aspect of the move was predictable…

Here are the basic details of the deal, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport:

If the Giants, including general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, believe in rolling the dice with Daniel Jones (which was seemingly the case in Schoen and Daboll’s respective introductory pressers), why are they signing Taylor to a multi-year deal instead of just a one-year deal?

Is Taylor going to be a serious option if Jones doesn’t improve in 2022, to the point where the Giants want to lock Tyrod down as a bridge option for 2023 in case this is Jones’ final year in Blue?

Also, if the organization was going to acquire a serviceable backup for Jones, why not pick up someone on the younger side such as Marcus Mariota (28 years old) or Jameis Winston (also 28)? Tyrod will be 33 this August.

I don’t hate this move whatsoever — I’m a fan of it for various reasons. But still, it’s an interesting decision to sign Tyrod to a multi-year contract and choose him over more novice options who still possess starting experience in this league.

Regardless, if Tyrod pushes Daniel Jones to compete and the soon-to-be fourth-year quarterback undergoes a successful 2022 season, then it’ll be “mission accomplished” for Schoen and the front office.

Follow Ryan Honey on Twitter: @RyanHoneyESNY

Listen to ESNY’s Wide Right Podcast on Apple here or on Spotify here.

Ryan Honey is a staff writer and host of the Wide Right Podcast.