Brady Cook will do something no Jets QB has done in 50 years in Week 15

Brady Cook is about to make history.

Justin Fried

New York Jets quarterback Brady Cook / Icon Sportswire/GettyImages

The New York Jets are set to do something in Week 15 that hasn’t happened in half a century, as undrafted rookie Brady Cook is preparing to start at quarterback on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

With both Tyrod Taylor and Justin Fields sidelined by injuries this week, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn announced on Friday that Cook will make his first career start one week after making his NFL debut in relief of an injured Taylor.

Now, with Taylor and Fields missing practice all week and officially ruled out, Cook is poised to make his first career NFL start, which is something Jets fans haven’t seen from an undrafted rookie quarterback since 1975.

That’s nearly 50 years and a lineup of every kind of quarterback imaginable in between. Jets fans have seen the worst of the worst line up under center, from Luke Falk to Bryce Petty to Bubby Brister, but all of those players were drafted.

Brady Cook will be the Jets' first undrafted starting QB in 50 years

The last undrafted quarterback to start a game for the Jets was J.J. Jones, who filled in for an injured Joe Namath back in 1975, a season in which Namath threw 14 touchdowns and 28 interceptions while the Jets won just three games.

Jones’ start in 1975 came under unusual circumstances, too. Interim head coach Ken Shipp actually benched Namath for a curfew violation, deciding just hours before kickoff that the future Hall of Famer wouldn’t start but would play later.

That left Jones to open the game and play three total drives that resulted in a three-and-out, an interception, and a field goal before Namath took over in the second quarter. That remains the last time an undrafted rookie quarterback has started a game...until now.

Cook spent most of the year on the Jets’ practice squad before being signed to the 53-man roster late last week. In his debut, Cook completed 14 of 30 passes for 163 yards with two interceptions.

Now, after taking all first-team reps in practice this week, Cook will get his first full opportunity to lead the offense from kickoff with Adrian Martinez, who was re-signed to the practice squad this week, expected to serve as his backup.

Cook’s first start adds one more notable twist to what has been yet another rocky quarterback season for the Jets. It’s a small slice of history and a chance to see whether he can play his way into the Jets’ quarterback conversation heading into 2026.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.