GREEN BAY, Wis. – Taylor Elgersma’s touchdown pass to Ben Sims against the Colts on Saturday, which was nullified by a penalty and shouldn’t have been thrown in the first place, was perhaps a perfect encapsulation of the Green Bay Packers’ rookie quarterback.
Elgersma has a lot to learn but has something that can’t be taught.
A big-time arm.
“I played a little baseball when I was younger but I always had an arm,” Elgersma said after practice on Monday. “When I started picking up the football in high school, it was, ‘I’m pretty good at throwing this thing.’ Definitely feel like that’s something of mine that I have a high ceiling and I have the arm to make all the throws. Now, it’s about making sure my process is good every single snap to allow me to use that to the best of my ability.”
For Elgersma, football was love at first sight. Like many Canadian kids, Elgersma grew up playing hockey. His defenseman mentality showed up a couple times agianst the Colts. Football, though, quickly captured his attention.
“As soon as I picked up the football and started playing, I realized this is what I’m made to do,” he said. “I feel like I have the skill-set and the physicality and the size, the arm and the brain to be a quarterback. It’s just about putting it all together.”
The arm talent is legit, but countless quarterbacks with strong arms have failed over the years. What gives Elgersma a real chance is his intelligence.
While it didn't count, Taylor Elgersma's touchdown pass to Ben Sims was a legit NFL fastball. pic.twitter.com/utSHDQXCtV
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 19, 2025
The CFL has a quarterback internship program for Canadian-born college QBs. Elgersma was part of the program and spent time with the Toronto Argonauts. The Argos’ quarterbacks coach was Mike Miller, who was an assistant coach for the Arizona Cardinals from 2007 through 2012. His quarterback for part of that time was Hall of Famer Kurt Warner.
It took two days with Elgersma for Miller to tell coach Ryan Dinwiddie that Elgersma had Warner-level intelligence.
Elgersma called it an “unbelievable complement.”
“I work really hard at this, but I also think that God gifted me with a brain to be able to use and understand the game,” Elgersma said. “I think that I’ve been adapting to the American game and picking up on some of those nuanced things, but I think I have a long way to go, still, to get to my level of understanding the Canadian game down there to the American game. It’s definitely helped me make the transition and definitely something that I work really hard at, as well.”
Green Bay Packers quarterback Taylor Elgersma participates in drills at training camp on July 28.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Taylor Elgersma participates in drills at training camp on July 28. / Sarah Kloepping/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The transition to the American game has been a challenge. In Canada, the fields are bigger and there are 12 players rather than 11. That means looks in the secondary are completely different from what he faced when he won Canada’s version of the Heisman Trophy at Wilfrid Laurier University last year.
“When the back ends are different, when you’re used to seeing coverages in a certain way, just getting your eyes adjusted to what cues can help you solve what coverages you’re going to get pre-snap,” he explained. “That was something in Canada, when you play the game for a while, you start to pick up on those things. I’m still starting to see those things. Where’s the leverage of the nickel or the alignments of the linebackers?
“And also just the speed of the game. That’s something that a lot of rookie quarterbacks deal with. But I definitely feel like I’m getting adjusted to that. The more reps, the better I’m going to get.”
Elgersma’s big opportunity in front of NFL scouts came at the prestigious Senior Bowl. His offensive coordinator that week was Packers passing game coordinator Jason Vrable.
“He’s a very, very intelligent football player. Like, off the charts,” Vrable said on Sunday. “He picked up the playbook, he commanded the huddle. You could just feel his energy and passion. I thought he did an unbelievable job. I think in the game, we had a sluggo down the left sideline (but) that drive stalled out.
Taylor Elgersma to Pat Bryant for the big play@LaurierFootball @IlliniFootball
📺: @SeniorBowl on NFL Network
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/uX6CHKRvsp
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) February 1, 2025
“He has a great personality. He came off the sideline and told him, ‘Man, Tay, just remember on that one play, you should’ve basically done this.’ But he said, ‘Yeah, but did you see the sluggo?’ He was just fired up to be out there and get his opps.”
Elgersma laughed as he recalled the moment.
“I remember that. Vrable was awesome at the Senior Bowl. He’s been a big part of my journey. Those were really the very first time I ever played 11-on-11 ball. It was a fun week with him, for sure.”
Despite an accomplished college career – albeit against much lesser competition than an SEC or Big Ten quarterback plays against – and obvious talent, Elgersma not only went undrafted but unsigned. He had options for tryout opportunities but chose Green Bay.
Why? Because of Green Bay’s history of “developing their players” and how that would help him grow into the quarterback he believes he can become.
That won’t happen overnight. A journey of a million miles starts with the first step, and while it’s far less than a million miles between his hometown of London, Ontario, to Green Bay – about 355 miles as the crow flies – he knows there will be no shortcuts.
“For me, the most important thing is I focus day by day on getting better,” he said, “but I do think that I have a high ceiling. If I can keep developing and keep spending time here, I can turn into a guy that can play on Sundays and give our team a chance to win every single time I’m out there.
“Obviously, that’s a step-by-step thing and my mindset’s on getting better each and every day so that I can develop and be a guy that you can bring in and compete for a series in a game and, ultimately, for a whole season. But I do think that I have a high ceiling that if you give me a little bit of runway, I can turn into something.”
A key moment in his career is coming up. Training camp concludes this week with a practice on Tuesday, a joint practice against Seattle on Thursday and the final preseason game against the Seahawks on Saturday. On Tuesday, general manager Brian Gutekunst must pick his 53-man roster. A day later, he can sign his practice squad.
Elgersma has shown the potential to be a “a guy that can play on Sundays.” It’s going to take time, and he hopes the Packers will give it to him.
“I feel like I’m getting better but I feel like I have a long way to go,” he said. “There’s a lot of things that I can clean up but I’m showing a progression and I’m putting the work in to get results. I feel comfortable out there and I feel comfortable with the play calls. Now, it’s about getting my eyes and feet to tie so that my arm can take over. I feel like I’m getting better every single day.”
“I would say I would expect the #Packers to be among the teams really interested” in Micah Parsons, Ian Rapoport said on The Pat McAfee Show.
Here's the story, with a quick cameo (from an upcoming, more in-depth story about the finances) by @KenIngalls.https://t.co/rKAbsrHnmI
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 19, 2025