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Less than a full week after New York Jets owner Woody Johnson trashed Justin Fields and head coach Aaron Glenn refused to name a starting quarterback for “competitive advantage,” the Week 8 decision was made without much of a choice.
Fields has struggled since signing a two-year, $40 million contract with Gang Green — to the point where he was benched at halftime for veteran Tyrod Taylor in their Week 7 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
However, Taylor suffered a knee injury in that game that will cause him to miss Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, leaving the Jets with no choice but to start Fields.
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Justin Fields and Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets stand on the sidelines during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on September 29, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Logan Bowles/Getty Images)
Johnson expressed his disappointment with Fields during NFL owners’ meetings earlier this week.
“It’s tough when you have a quarterback with the grade we have,” he said. “He has the ability, but something isn’t moving. If you look at any head coach with a quarterback like that, you’ll see similar results across the league. You’ve got to play consistent at that position and that’s what we’re going to try to do for the rest of the season.”
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson walks on the football field before an NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on September 9, 2024, in Santa Clara, California. (Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)
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Fields started six games for the Jets, missing Week 3 because he was in the concussion protocol. He compiled a passer rating of 91.1 this season.
Reports indicated that the Jets were planning to move toward Taylor, as several people on the Jets believed he was the better quarterback.
As recently as Friday, Glenn refused to name a quarterback because he “just didn’t want to” in a heated exchange with the media. He added that the players knew who the quarterback would be.
New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn attends an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in London. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner will also miss the contest as the Jets look to avoid an 0-8 start.
