It’s been a game of hide and seek with the media and Justin Fields after the quarterback was benched in favor of backup Tyrod Taylor on Monday.
After requests were put in to speak to Fields throughout the week, noti.group’s Brian Costello caught the former first-round draft pick at his locker Friday.
Fields was about to head out for a massage, saying he didn’t have time to talk, but he did answer a brief question about his reaction to the switch.
“There’s no reaction,” Fields answered. “That’s life. S–t happens.”
The Jets signed Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract that included $30 million guaranteed after deciding to move on from Aaron Rodgers and start anew.
He was named the starter instantly but it turned out to be no fresh start for Fields.
He has watched the season spiral into a 2-8 downer and has led the offense to a league-worst 139.9 yards passing per game.
The fifth-year quarterback has only thrown for 200 yards once in the past five games.
Last week against the Patriots, he was 15-of-26 for 116 yards.
It proved to be the last straw for Aaron Glenn.
The coach who was previously coy about who would be under center each week came out with his reasoning for the decision Wednesday.
“Obviously, offensively, you want your passing game to be better, and listen, that’s not totally on [Fields],” Glenn said. “There’s a number of things that go into that. That’s myself, that’s the routes that’s run, that’s dropped balls, that’s including him. And at this point, I just feel like, man, we have to do something to get this team going offensively in the passing game, and I just felt like it was time to make that decision. And, listen, I do still feel strongly about Justin. That has not changed, but I do feel at this point that we have to make a change.”
Sunday will be the start of the Taylor era for the Jets as they head to Baltimore for a matchup against the Ravens (5-5).
It will be the 36-year-old’s second start of the season after he filled in for Fields, who was out with a concussion, in Week 3 against the Buccaneers.
DL Eric Watts was spotted with a different jersey number on the practice field Friday.
He sported No. 95, which previously was worn by Quinnen Williams. Watts previously was 58.
Kene Nwangwu (hamstring), Will McDonald (quad), Harrison Phillips (foot) and Marcelino McCrary-Ball (hamstring) are all listed as questionable on the Jets injury report. Phillips and Nwangwu were limited participants Friday.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
