Jets News
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports that the New York Jets are making a change at quarterback and will bench Justin Fields in favor of veteran Tyrod Taylor.
Tyrod Taylor will start Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, replacing Justin Fields, according to a source. The move comes after Fields struggled in Thursday night’s 27-14 loss to New England. Fields completed 15 of 26 passes for 116 yards and one touchdown while adding 67 rushing yards and a score on the ground. He also fumbled in the fourth quarter, leading to a Patriots field goal. The Jets rank last in the league in passing offense through 10 games. Fields has completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 1,259 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception this season. New York sits at 2-8 after dropping its third straight division game.
Fields signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Jets in March after spending 2024 with Pittsburgh. He won his Jets debut against the Steelers in Week 1 but the team then lost seven consecutive games. Fields was briefly benched during a Week 7 loss to Carolina when Taylor entered at halftime, but a knee injury to Taylor forced the Jets to return to Fields.
The change at quarterback represents the second benching for Fields this season. Owner Woody Johnson publicly criticized Fields’ performance after the Week 7 loss, saying it was “hard to win” with his current quarterback rating.
Taylor brings 15 years of NFL experience to the starting role. The veteran has appeared in three games this season, completing 43 of 69 passes for 379 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. His lone start came in Week 3 against Tampa Bay, where he threw for 197 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in a loss.
Fields’ best performance came in Week 8 against Cincinnati, when he threw for 244 yards in a 39-38 comeback victory. But he followed that with just 54 passing yards in a Week 10 win over Cleveland before Thursday’s game against New England.
The Jets will visit Baltimore on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Ravens have won four straight games. Head coach Aaron Glenn confirmed the quarterback change Sunday morning after practicing both players with the first team during the week.
Taylor becomes the Jets’ second different starting quarterback this season. New York has not made the playoffs since 2010, the longest active drought in American professional sports. The team traded cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams at the deadline earlier this month.
Fields will serve as the backup for Sunday’s game. The Jets have seven games remaining in the regular season.
