Jets finally make the Justin Fields decision fans have been waiting for

The inevitable has arrived. After weeks of historically bad QB play, public frustration, and mounting pressure from inside and outside the building, the New York Jets are finally turning the page at the quarterback position.

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported on Monday that the team is benching Justin Fields and handing the Week 12 start to veteran Tyrod Taylor in a move most fans would argue was overdue by at least a month.

Fields’ struggles had become impossible to defend. He has thrown for under 60 yards in four of his nine starts. He ranks dead last in the NFL in passing yards per game.

He owns the league’s worst EPA/play when removing garbage time. Even more damning, he has the seventh-highest wide-open rate in the NFL, which is a sign that receivers have been open — the ball simply isn’t getting there.

Aaron Glenn had tried for weeks to avoid the conversation, even opting to beef with reporters. But after Thursday night’s loss, even he conceded reality. Now, the Jets are acting on it.

Jets' Justin Fields benching was long overdue

The Jets have been operating with a completely dysfunctional passing game for most of the season. Fields finished the team's Week 11 loss to the Patriots 15-of-26 for 116 yards and a touchdown, but the stat line masks the real problem. The Jets did not have a functional dropback passing offense.

It was telling that Glenn’s tone changed when speaking to reporters on Friday. After weeks of vague answers, he finally acknowledged that the Jets “have to do a better job in the passing game” and that Fields “missed open guys.”

That public honesty signaled the organization was preparing for a change. Now it’s official.

Taylor isn’t a long-term solution, and he likely won't be a massive upgrade, but he gives the Jets what they’ve been missing. He's a professional quarterback who will get the ball out on time and actually attempt to execute Tanner Engstrand’s rhythm-based offense.

Taylor was already on track to take over for Fields earlier this year before a knee flare-up forced him to miss the team's Week 8 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. When he’s been healthy, he has shown he can stabilize an offense, and right now, stability is a luxury for this team.

Fields is likely to be released this offseason to avoid future guaranteed money. Taylor is a free agent in 2026. That means the Jets would probably prefer to see everything they have internally before entering a draft where they’re expected to target a quarterback.

That could make third-stringer Brady Cook a name to watch. He’s currently on the practice squad, but it feels inevitable that he’ll see the field at some point.

Taylor has a lengthy injury history, his knee has already flared up once, and the Jets may want to elevate Cook to QB2 to give him meaningful practice reps — and potentially even a couple of late-season starts.

Sunday marks the beginning of the post-Fields era in New York. It took too long, but it’s the correct decision, and the only decision that gave the Jets any chance of playing competent NFL offense again.