Giants Add Quarterback, Jets Get Secondary Help As Free Agency Continues
Both the New York Giants and Jets remained busy into the second day of free agency.
The Giants agreed to terms with former Houston Texans quarterback Tyrod Taylor on a two-year deal worth $17 million. Taylor will be the primary back-up quarterback to incumbent Daniel Jones. The Giants want to see if Jones can be the guy as he as one year left on his deal before General Manager Joe Schoen and Head Coach Brian Daboll have to make a call on Jones’ fifth year option.
If Jones struggles, or is injured for extended period of time, Taylor is more than capable of filling in.
Taylor is well traveled having played for five different organizations. He became a starter with the Buffalo Bills in 2015, and remained the starter until the franchise drafted Josh Allen in 2018. Taylor put up respectable, if not unspectacular numbers in Buffalo, completing 63 percent of his passes, while tossing 51 touchdowns to 16 picks.
However, the Bills never won while he was there.
Since, Taylor has been a journeyman with the Browns, Chargers and Texans. Recently Taylor has been asked to be a bridge quarterback in LA when the Chargers were waiting on Justin Herbert, and in Houston when the team was clearly trying to tank for draft position.
Meanwhile, the Jets remained busy, inking former Seattle Seahawks cornerback D.J. Reed to a three-year $33 million deal, and former Buccaneers safety Jordan Whitehead to a two-year, $14.5 million deal. The Jets also extended defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd on a one-year contract.
TAMPA, FLORIDA – JANUARY 16: Jordan Whitehead #33 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrates a defensive stop against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Raymond James Stadium on January 16, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Reed is a young player, who has been mostly a back-up corner. The Jets could be looking at him as a starter. He has only four picks in four seasons in Seattle. The one plus is he is familiar with the scheme that Robert Saleh like to run defensively.
As for Whitehead, he was a hard hitting safety on the Buccaneers Super Bowl Championship team from 2020. He averages around 74 tackles a season, and is the owner of a couple of sacks and five interceptions. With the departure of Marcus Maye, who signed a big contract in New Orleans, adding Whitehead is a huge plus for the Jets.
