Taylor, speaking about the Jets’ decision to sign Folk for his second stint with the team, said it put his mind at ease. Not only for Folk’s long-term consistency kicking the pigskin, but for another more personal reason.
“I was glad when Nick signed, because that didn’t make me the oldest on the team,” Taylor said. “I’d never been in that place. I was always the young guy playing, but, yeah, those times have changed. But got a lot of respect for Nick. He’s done it the right way for a long time.”
He added: “I’ve been around for a while [15 years with 7 teams], but at the same time, I don’t feel old either. I think it’s this opportunity to just support the guys within this locker room and share some of my experiences. I’ve been on some very good teams, some so-so teams as well. And I think all of those experiences are something to gather information from and to share with younger guys because you never know where they were at. I’m sure that I’ve been in their shoes at some point throughout their season or their careers. So just trying to use that wisdom, or those experiences, years of experience, to shed light to hopefully better their careers.”
Taylor summed up a thrilling afternoon, one where he completed 19-of-33 passes for 172 yards, but more importantly put an exclamation point on his long career.
“The only thing that matters to me is winning,” he said. “I know the work that we put in, week in and week out, and when you take the field with the guys to battle, the only thing that matters is winning.”