Taylor Elgersma didn’t follow the traditional road to the NFL. No SEC highlight reels. No NCAA bowl game heroics. Instead, he took a very different route-through the Canadian U Sports league and a CFL internship. Now, he’s turning that unlikely path into momentum inside the Packers quarterback room.
The 6-foot-5 quarterback out of Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario wasn’t even drafted this spring. But after a tryout at Green Bay’s rookie minicamp, the Packers signed him in May. And ever since, he’s quietly climbed the depth chart.
Currently listed behind Malik Willis and Sean Clifford, Elgersma might be a long-term project-but he’s already earned the kind of praise that gets people talking.
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It started when Mike Miller-former Arizona Cardinals quarterbacks coach-compared Elgersma’s football IQ to none other than Kurt Warner. “I’m not saying he’s as smart, but that was the first name that popped in my mind,” Miller told Sports Illustrated.“He just gets it.”
Coming from a coach who worked directly with Warner during his MVP run in the mid-2000s, that’s no throwaway compliment.
Elgersma also took home the 2024 Hec Crighton Trophy, Canada’s version of the Heisman. During his time with the Toronto Argonauts’ internship program, he showed leadership and sharp decision-making-traits that caught the eye of both Miller and Argos head coach Ryan Dinwiddie.
Now with the Packers, he’s impressed new quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion with his grasp of the playbook and his on-field composure. “There’s a lot of stuff that’s new to him,” Mannion said. “But he retains information fast, and you can see the talent.”
Sports Illustrated’s Bill Huber recently ranked Elgersma No. 56 out of 90 players on Green Bay’s roster ahead of training camp. He projects Malik Willis as Jordan Love’s backup for now-but suggests Elgersma could climb to that No. 2 spot by 2026 if his development continues.
For a player who entered camp as an afterthought, Elgersma has quickly become one of the most intriguing names to watch in Green Bay.
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