During his NFL career, quarterback Tyrod Taylor saw his longest run of success with the Buffalo Bills. He started 43 (really 44) games for the Bills, but in the end, the writing was on the wall.
Taylor led the Bills to the playoffs in 2017, he’ll forever be the quarterback that broke a nearly two decade playoff drought. But the team quickly moved on from him, eventually landing with their current starter, Josh Allen.
While now a few years removed, Taylor said he’s using his time in Buffalo as a motivational factor for him still.
As the Los Angeles Chargers depth chart sits, Taylor is currently their No. 1 QB following the departure of Phillip Rivers. Many expect the Chargers to add competition via a rookie at the upcoming draft. That competition will be motivation, Taylor said, as will Buffalo and another of his former teams, the Cleveland Browns.
“It’s motivating just for the highs and lows of my career,” Taylor told NFL.com. “To be drafted in the sixth round, walking into my 10th year, there’s definitely a lot of motivating factors in there being from my time when I was in Buffalo and when I played in Cleveland.”
Taylor potentially grabbing a starting spot isn’t out of the question, even with a potential first-round rookie behind him.
His motivation from Cleveland came from being named starter ahead of No.1 overall pick Baker Mayfield, only to have things turned over to the rookie pretty quickly. Nonetheless, Taylor took the starting gig there over a highly-touted rookie, and had he stayed healthy and had a better coaching staff, perhaps he would have held the job for the season?
In addition, Anthony Lynn is his head coach with the Chargers. The two spent time together in Buffalo and Lynn has long been a supporter of Taylor’s abilities.
All that considered, there could be real opportunity for Taylor to stick it to the Bills if he does earn a starting spot. The Chargers are slated to play against the Bills in Buffalo next season.
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