Hampton’s Tyrod Taylor hosts middle school show ahead of 14th NFL season

HAMPTON, Va. (WTKR) — Memories quickly come flooding back for Tyrod Taylor as he attends a summer football camp in the 757.

“I remember being with those kids, I always tell them that,” said the former star quarterback at Hampton High School and Virginia Tech.

Taylor, along with the Elevate 2days Future Foundation, hosted a middle school show at Hampton University on Saturday. More than 100 players went through a day of drills and played in two All-Star games while the veteran NFL quarterback watched and offered some advice.

“You have a lot of influence in that age group,” he said. “You have to model good habits, teach good things and values, and hopefully those things will stick.”

Since beginning his professional career in 2011, Taylor has remained connected to his hometown in several ways. He opened the Tyrod Taylor Wellness Center at the Boys and Girls Club of the Virginia Peninsula in 2023 and returned to the facility for community days.

“It’s hard not to get caught up in it,” Taylor said. “Every day someone comes out and you think, ‘Wow, I’m proud of that person from that area.'”

“We talk about it every day,” said Taylor’s father, Rodney. “We’ve always talked about what’s going on with him and what’s going on here.”

What’s going on with Taylor is another offseason of changes. After a two-year stint with the New York Giants, the former Crabber signed a two-year contract with the New York Jets in March.

“The football business works in a difficult way,” he said. “But I’m very happy to stay in (New) Jersey.”

He joins a Jets team that is in the spotlight largely because of Aaron Rodgers, the team’s starting signal-caller.

“34 years of experience alone,” Taylor said. “We look forward to raising the level of competition in the room, but also learning from each other and helping lead the Jets to where we all want to go.”

This will be the seventh team Taylor has played for in his 14-year NFL career. He has played in 92 games and thrown for 12,135 yards and 65 touchdowns in 58 starts during that time.

“A lot of ups, some downs, but also a lot of ups in my career,” said the 2015 Pro Bowler. “I’m grateful for everything that’s happened.”

He wants to pass on this perspective to the people who come to his training camps or watch his games and give them an example of how they can move forward.

“I’ve heard this phrase: ‘How you do something is how you do everything,'” Taylor said. “That’s my attitude toward life. Take the opportunity to compete.”

Taylor reports to training camp with the Jets on July 23.