The Jets also have a worldly vet quarterback that Flacco knows well. Tyrod Taylor, who came off the bench in the second half Sunday in New Jersey but couldn’t pull it out for Justin Fields in a 13-6 loss to the Panthers, spent his first four seasons in the league as an understudy to Flacco in the Ravens quarterback room.

A 2011 sixth-round pick of Baltimore, Taylor is a 36-year-old kid in this potential matchup with the 40-year-old Flacco. But he’s been around long enough that when old friend Andy Dalton came off the bench for Carolina Sunday, it was a rematch of Bengals-Bills games played at Paycor in 2016-17 that they split.

And as every Cincy schoolkid knows, Taylor was the Chargers quarterback who came into Paycor and barely beat Burrow in his debut in the 2020 COVID opener before a crowd of zero.

So if Taylor gets the call (Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said Monday that he’s undecided), there is a history that has left an impression on another Taylor. In this league of quarterback roulette, Fields came off the bench to relieve Dalton in Chicago and beat Burrow in 2021.

“Professional,” said Bengals head coach Zac Taylor Monday of Tyrod Taylor. “He can be a playmaker with his feet. I’ve seen him kill people with his feet before. He does a great job picking up first downs. He can be an aggressive thrower. He can make all the throws. I’m flashing back to all the times I’ve seen him play over the years. A lot of respect for him.”

Bengals rookie linebacker Barrett Carter, who figures to get his third start with the helmet mic, says they’re prepping for both Taylor and Fields.

“You have to be aware of both. Especially because they’ve just taken out Justin Fields, and put in Tyrod Taylor,” Carter said. “You have to study both and pick up on their tendencies. You have to know about both. I wouldn’t say (it’s hard) at all because every other opponent, I’m aware who the backup quarterback is, so it doesn’t really change anything.”

Fields doesn’t have a win over the Bengals, but he’s had two killing first downs against them to secure wins in the last moments. Last year, the Steelers lined him up at quarterback in place of Russell Wilson on third-and-four with 1:54 left and the Bengals looking to hand the ball over to Burrow for a late winning touchdown. But he never got the ball back when Fields kept for seven yards.

“We know both guys can run,” Carter said. “You have to be aware of it.”