FLORHAM PARK, NJ – The New York Jets have officially benched struggling quarterback Justin Fields in favor of veteran backup Tyrod Taylor, head coach Aaron Glenn announced Monday.
Taylor, 36, will make his second start of the season this Sunday when the Jets (2-8) travel to face the Baltimore Ravens — the team that originally drafted him in the sixth round back in 2011.
The decision was delivered to the team during Monday’s first meeting following their mini-bye after Thursday night’s 27-14 loss to the New England Patriots.
“It stinks to be part of [the demotion],” said tight end Jeremy Ruckert, a former Ohio State teammate of Fields. “I take it personal — all the hate, all the talking that goes toward him. I’m one of the guys that takes the field with him, and I wish we could’ve done a better job to help him out. But he’s a true professional.”
The move had been brewing for weeks. Coach Glenn hinted at it Friday when he said he was “evaluating everything.” Fields managed just 116 passing yards in the Patriots loss, part of a season-long struggle that has seen the Jets rank dead last in the NFL in passing yards per game (139.9).
In his last five starts, Fields has thrown for only 505 yards. Overall this season he has 1,259 passing yards, 7 touchdowns, and just 1 interception — but his 37.7 Total QBR ranks 30th out of 33 qualified quarterbacks.
Sources say Fields was nearly pulled at halftime of the Week 7 loss to Carolina. Glenn was prepared to turn to Taylor permanently, but Taylor was a late scratch before Week 8 with a lingering knee injury, forcing the staff to stick with Fields. In that Bengals game — days after public criticism from owner Woody Johnson — Fields delivered the Jets’ best offensive performance in years (502 total yards) and the team rallied around him.
The good will evaporated quickly: a 51-yard passing outing against Cleveland (saved only by a win) followed by the dismal showing in New England.
Signed in March to a two-year, $40 million deal ($30M guaranteed), Fields is under contract through 2026 with a $20M salary next year ($10M guaranteed) and a $23M cap hit. Few expect him to be the starter in 2026.
The Jets currently hold the No. 5 pick in the 2026 draft and own two first-rounders in 2026 plus three more in 2027 after the recent Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams trades — giving them ample capital to move up for a quarterback if they choose.
The hope was that a fresh start in New York would unlock the potential Fields flashed in Chicago and Pittsburgh. It simply hasn’t happened.
Taylor has a career 28-29-1 record as a starter across stints with Baltimore, Buffalo, Cleveland, the Chargers, Houston, the Giants, and now the Jets. This year he started Week 3 against Tampa Bay while Fields recovered from a concussion, throwing for two touchdowns and nearly engineering a comeback victory.
“Obviously we have to do a better job in the passing game,” Glenn said Friday, “and that has a lot to do with Justin getting the ball to the right guys.”
Once again, quarterback instability returns to haunt the Jets — a franchise that has started three or more different QBs in four of the last five seasons (including four in 2023 after Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles injury on opening night).
For now, the keys belong to Tyrod Taylor. How long that lasts remains anyone’s guess.
