Head coach Aaron Glenn could not have been much curter when explaining why he finally opted to bench quarterback Justin Fields for Tyrod Taylor ahead of the New York Jets’ Week 12 meeting with the Baltimore Ravens.
“Because I wanted to,” the first-year boss said on Wednesday.
Reports emerged on Monday that Glenn was going to make the switch, and it was only a matter of time before it happened. The Fields experiment fell woefully short of the initial hypotheses of Glenn and first-year general manager Darren Mougey. Tabbed as a potential franchise quarterback with dual-threat capabilities, Fields’ legs lived up to the billing, but his arm did not.
He averaged just a shade under 140 passing yards per game, making the Jets’ aerial attack the worst unit in all of football. After going 15-of-26 for 116 yards an a touchdown, Glenn had seen enough.
“It was purely my decision,” the head coach said. “I felt like it was the time to do it. I had good conversations with both of those guys. These situations aren’t always easy, but as a head coach, you have to do what’s best for your team. I felt like this was best for the team.”
In Taylor’s lone start of the season back in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he nearly led the Jets to a wild comeback victory before the defense collapsed in the final minute. He passed for 197 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
“Tyrod’s a seasoned professional,” tight end Jeremy Ruckert said. “You know what you’re going to get from him. He’s a guy who’s played a lot of football. He’s someone you can always lean on.”
Any production out of Taylor is nothing more than a consolation prize at this point. Unless third-stringer Brady Cook is the next Tom Brady, there are zero legitimate future options under center for Gang Green. They are 2-8 and currently hold the No. 5 pick at the 2026 NFL Draft, where they could potentially draft a talent they deem to be a franchise quarterback.
One thing is abundantly clear, though, and it’s that Fields is not the answer in the Meadowlands.
“He understood my decision,” Glenn said of the benched quarterback. “Obviously, he’s not happy with the decision, and I wouldn’t expect him to be. But he understands. I have to make a decision as a head coach to do what’s best for this team.”
