Aaron Glenn is not playing games this week.
The Jets coach confirmed the quarterback change he made Monday — benching Justin Fields in favor of veteran Tyrod Taylor for Sunday’s game with the Ravens. Unlike previous weeks, when he would not answer questions about who was starting at quarterback, Glenn addressed the move.
“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.”
The Jets signed Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract that included $30 million guaranteed in the offseason. They named him the starter immediately and spoke about allowing him to be a complete quarterback, implying that coaches had not done that in his previous stops with the Bears and Steelers.
But Fields has been awful for the 2-8 Jets this season. The Jets are averaging a league-worst 139.9 yards passing per game. Fields has thrown for 200 yards only once in his past five games. He had 116 passing yards in last week’s loss to the Patriots, misfiring on several passes that should have been completions.
Fields declined to speak to the media on Wednesday after losing his starting spot.
Glenn said he met privately with Fields on Monday to inform him of the move.
“He understood my decision,” Glenn said. “Obviously, he’s not happy with the decision. I don’t expect him to be. But he understands. I have to make a decision as a head coach to try to do what’s best for this team and I felt like it was the best decision.”
Glenn has been a fierce defender of Fields since he arrived. He chastised reporters for “dogging” Fields during training camp and bristled when asked about benching Fields after a terrible performance against the Broncos in London.
Glenn did bench Fields at halftime of the Panthers game but then returned to him against the Bengals when Taylor was dealing with a knee injury. Fields played his best game against the Bengals and the Jets won two games in a row before the loss against the Patriots last Thursday when it became clear that Glenn had to make a move.
“These situations are not always easy,” Glenn said. “But as a head coach you have to do what is best for the team and I felt like this was the best for the team.”
For the 36-year-old Taylor, it is another chance to start. He started one game earlier this season in Tampa when Fields had a concussion.
“Excited for the opportunity to play,” Taylor said. “Obviously, it’s tough as well. You create friends in this business and there’s an emotional side to it, but at the same time I’m also a firm believer that God has a plan for all of us and trust it. He’s calling me for this moment, and just like I said, excited for the opportunity.”
Taylor was a sixth-round pick of the Ravens in 2011 and played four seasons there. Now, he gets another start in Baltimore.
“It’s a full circle moment, for sure,” Taylor said. “Thankful for my time in Baltimore. I learned a lot from the coaches there, to the players within that locker room. I learned a lot about football, I learned a lot about how to carry myself off the field as well, too. Like I said, just forever thankful for the four years that I spent there. I have a lot of friends in that building still. It’s been a while since I went back there to play. It’s an opportunity for us. They have a very good team, and we’re looking forward to stepping up to the challenge this weekend.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
