After another dismal performance from the passing game, the New York Jets have seen enough.
The Jets are benching QB Justin Fields in favor of Tyrod Taylor ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported, making a quarterback change many anticipated after a "Thursday Night Football" loss to the New England Patriots.
Fields, who signed a two-year contract with the Jets in the offseason and impressed in his debut with the organization in Week 1, actually won two of his final three starts before his benching, but coach Aaron Glenn decided Taylor gives New York the best chance to win going forward.
Here's what you need to know about Fields' benching.
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Why did Jets bench Justin Fields?
While the Jets have won two of their last three games, Fields' benching might have only been delayed by an injury to Taylor after Week 7. Taylor replaced Fields in a loss to the Carolina Panthers that weekend and was believed to be under strong consideration to start against the Cincinnati Bengals until an injury took the decision out of Glenn's hands.
Fields bought himself some time with a 39-38 win over the Bengals, but a 54-yard passing performance in an ugly win over the Cleveland Browns and a 116-yard showing against the Patriots put his job on the line again.
The Jets have tried to lean heavily on their running game this season, but they just weren't getting enough out of their passing game on a consistent basis to win with Fields. The former first-round pick threw for less than 60 yards in four of his nine starts, and the Jets rank dead last in the NFL in passing yards per game at 139.9.
Fields was not in a perfect situation by any means — the Jets entered Thursday night's loss to the Patriots with an extremely thin wide receiver depth chart with Garrett Wilson out, and a pair of Adonai Mitchell drops hampered New York's offense — but a more experienced Taylor who has proven he can replicate Fields' ability to limit interceptions might be better equipped in the Jets' eyes to work with such an inexperienced group of weapons.
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Jets QB depth chart
| QB | Player |
| 1 | Tyrod Taylor |
| 2 | Justin Fields |
| 3 | Brady Cook |
Fields is set to settle in as the backup to Taylor, taking over the No. 2 role with undrafted QB Brady Cook in the emergency No. 3 role.
Originally signed as a veteran upgrade in the backup spot behind Aaron Rodgers, Taylor didn't start last season but started against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this season when Fields was in concussion protocol. Taylor has made starts for six different teams, including 43 with the Buffalo Bills.
Justin Field stats
| Starts | Comp. Rate | Yards | TD | INT | Passer rating | Rush yards | Rush TD |
| 9 | 62.7 | 1,259 | 7 | 1 | 89.5 | 383 | 4 |
Fields completed 62.7 percent of passes over nine starts, only tossing one interception but throwing for just 1,259 yards thanks to four games of less than 60 passing yards.
Known for his athleticism, Fields showed flashes as a runner and rushed for 383 yards along with four touchdowns, but he hasn't been able to replicate his rushing production from 2022, when he ran for 1,143 yards with the Chicago Bears.
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Justin Fields contract
Fields signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Jets in the offseason. He still has $10 million in guarantees on his deal for 2026, which New York will owe him even if he isn't on the roster.
If Fields is released, he could sign the veteran minimum elsewhere while still earning the bulk of his money from the Jets.
Tyrod Taylor teams
Taylor has spent his 15 NFL seasons with seven different teams, starting at least one game with six of them:
- Baltimore Ravens, 2011-14
- Buffalo Bills, 2015-17
- Cleveland Browns, 2018
- Los Angeles Chargers, 2019-20
- Houston Texans, 2021
- New York Giants, 2022-23
- New York Jets, 2024-25
The former sixth-round pick out of Virginia Tech will make his first start since Fields' benching against the team that drafted him, looking to lead to the Jets to a major upset in Baltimore.
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Tyrod Taylor age
Taylor is 36 years old, which makes him the NFL's third-oldest starting quarterback behind only Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford, with the caveat that 40-year-old Joe Flacco is currently starting in place of Joe Burrow as an injury replacement.