Justin Fields is heading to the bench and Tyrod Taylor is replacing him as the New York Jets’ starting quarterback.
Coach Aaron Glenn decided to play Taylor over the embattled Fields on Sunday in Baltimore, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Monday.
Glenn said last week he would evaluate all positions over the weekend, leaving the door open for a change at quarterback. And he decided to make the switch to Taylor, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team didn’t announce the move, which The Athletic first reported.
Glenn told the team of his decision during a meeting Monday morning, when the Jets returned to work after a few days off.
“Yeah, I’m not going to go into too much detail,” tight end Jeremy Ruckert said. “Coach talked to us as a team today and told us that we’re going to get ready to go play this weekend. So just leave all questions for that toward him.”
The Jets (2-8) are coming off a 27-14 loss Thursday night at New England. Fields’ subpar play has been a major reason for the struggles of the passing offense, which ranks last in the NFL with 139.9 yards per game — 20 fewer than the 31st-ranked Cleveland Browns.
Fields was 15 of 26 for 116 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots, but he had only 23 passing yards at halftime. Dropped passes, including two by Adonai Mitchell in his Jets debut, contributed to the lack of production. That performance came after Fields was 6 of 11 for just 54 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the Jets’ 27-20 win over the Browns.
“That’s my guy,” said Ruckert, who also was a teammate of Fields at Ohio State. “It stinks to be a part of the (demotion). I take it personal, all the hate, all the talking that goes toward him. I take it personal because I’m one of the guys that takes the field with him.
“And I wish we could do a better job to help him out, but he’s just a true professional, like I say every day. Not going to change how I feel about him. I’m sure he’ll be ready to go when his time’s come.”
Glenn, who was not scheduled to speak to reporters again until Wednesday, has been tight-lipped on his quarterback situation and refused the last few weeks to announce who his starter would be.
It appeared likely the 36-year-old Taylor would take over under center Oct. 26 against the Cincinnati Bengals, but the veteran backup was ruled out with a knee injury and didn’t travel with the team. Instead, Fields thrived after what he called an “emotional” week that included owner Woody Johnson publicly criticizing him. He led the Jets to their first win of the season, 39-38 against the Bengals.
He was 21 of 32 for 244 yards and a touchdown in that victory, along with 31 yards on 11 rushes. He also threw a pass and had a run for 2-point conversions. The Jets hoped that was a turning point for Fields.
But the struggles reappeared in the next two games — and the calls from frustrated fans to bench Fields grew louder. Glenn said Friday that Fields did some good things at New England but also acknowledged he missed a few opportunities to make plays.
“You hear that quite a bit when you get these quarterback changes: ‘Man, I’m trying to get a spark for the team,’” Glenn said. “But to me, it’s more or less, man, I’m trying to make the best decision to give our guys a chance to win because to me, a spark is really a short-term deal. And I don’t know if this is what other coaches’ decisions are, but, man, I want to make a decision to give us a chance to win.”
The 26-year-old Fields started nine of the first 10 games this season, missing one because of a concussion, after signing a two-year, $40 million contract in the offseason. The deal included $30 million in guaranteed money, a sign the Jets were optimistic Fields could thrive in new offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand’s system after failed stints with the Chicago Bears — who drafted him in the first round in 2021 — and last year with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Fields was mostly underwhelming during training camp, but he was solid in a season-opening loss to the Steelers in which he threw for 218 yards and a touchdown and ran for two scores. But he was inconsistent over the next several games and threw for fewer than 55 yards in four starts.
For the season, Fields has passed for 1,259 yards — an average of just 140 per game — with seven touchdowns and one interception. He is the team’s second-leading rusher behind Breece Hall with 383 yards, and his four rushing touchdowns lead the Jets.
The game in Baltimore will mark the 60th NFL start of Taylor’s 15-year career. He was 26 of 36 for 197 yards and two touchdowns with one interception in his lone start this season, a 29-27 loss at Tampa Bay. Taylor most recently played Oct. 19 against the Carolina Panthers when Fields was benched at halftime. Taylor finished 10 of 22 for 126 yards with two interceptions in the 13-6 loss.
