The New York Jets are 2-8, and head coach Aaron Glenn has made a switch at quarterback. Justin Fields has been benched in favor of Tyrod Taylor. Fields is averaging just 139.8 passing yards per game. And while Fields has just one interception on the season, the passing game has zero explosive qualities to it.
The Jets gave Fields a two-year, $40 million contract in March with $30 million guaranteed. It's clear that he isn't the future of the team, which is why Alex Kay of Bleacher Report says the Jets should draft Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
"The 2026 draft class may not have a generational superstar worth tanking for, but Ty Simpson could at least be the stabilizing presence New York desperately needs under center," Kay writes. "After arriving in Tuscaloosa in 2022, Simpson patiently awaited his opportunity and finally emerged as Alabama's starter in 2025. It was worth the long wait, as Simpson is shining as the Crimson Tide's QB1 and elevated himself into a potential top-five pick in the process."
Kay adds that Fields can be part of the solution as the backup to Simpson.
"Simpson would be a heavy favorite to emerge as the Week 1 starter if the Jets take him early in the draft," Kay writes. "That would spell an unsurprising end to Fields' tenure as the QB1 in the Big Apple, but since the Jets already owe half of his $20 million salary for 2026, they could do far worse than keeping him around as backup."
We've seen far more expensive quarterbacks serve as backups, the most recent example being Kirk Cousins with the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal ahead of the 2024 season, where he was benched in the final month of the season for Michael Penix Jr.
Fields is dynamic as a runner, which does make him an ideal backup. Considering the Jets signed him to a two-year deal, and there likely won't be teams lining up to trade for him, being the No. 2 guy could be in his future.
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