The inevitable has happened in Florham Park.
On Monday afternoon, the Jets benched quarterback Justin Fields in favor of backup Tyrod Taylor for their Week 12 game against the Ravens.
Coach Aaron Glenn informed his players of the change in the locker room, Jeremy Ruckert told reporters over Zoom.
There are seemingly no more games to be played in the near future regarding who will be under center, barring injuries, as Glenn has normally operated this season.
The decision comes a month after Woody Johnson publicly ripped the fifth-year quarterback, and despite the two wins Fields was able to help orchestrate for the Jets — albeit against the Bengals and Browns — it seems his latest flop was the last straw.
Tyrod Taylor is pictured before the Jets’ Nov. 9 game against the Browns. Imagn Images
On Thursday, the 26-year-old went 15-for-26 for 116 yards with a touchdown and a fumble in a 27-14 loss to the Patriots.
It came after his 54 yards thrown against the Browns the week prior.
Fields has completed 62.7 percent of his passes for a total of 1,259 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception across nine starts since the Jets signed him to a two-year, $40 million contract during the offseason.
Ruckert, who played with Fields for two seasons at Ohio State, couldn’t piece together why Fields hasn’t been able get things going for the Jets offense.
Justin Fields runs with the ball during the Jets’ Nov. 13 loss to the Patriots. Charles Wenzelberg
“That’s my guy. Not really sure the exact things, I just know how much he cares about us,” the tight end said. “How much he puts on the line every day. I take it personal — all the hate and the talk that goes towards him — I take it personal because I’m one of the guys that takes the field with him. Wish we could’ve done a better job to help him out. He’s a true professional every day. Not gonna change how I feel about him. I’m sure he’ll be ready to go when his time comes.”
Throughout most of the season, Glenn consistently chose Fields, except in a few injury instances early in the season and in Week 7 against the Panthers when he pulled him at halftime with the hope Taylor would be a spark for the offense.
With his seventh team in his 15th year in the league, Taylor will be tasked with creating something out of nearly nothing with an offense that is averaging a league-worst 139.9 passing yards per game.
Despite the daunting task in a 2-8 downhill season and having played just three games (one as starter) and 120 snaps this season, Harrison Phillips feels he has the evidence to believe Taylor can handle that weight and lead the Jets to some positive takeaways.
“I even had a lot of overlap with him, not playing together but through the Buffalo Bills. … When I was in Buffalo, he had just left and it was great to hear staff, how positively they talked about him. Some of the skill position and offensive line talking about how well he was able to jell guys. You need to have good camaraderie in your room offensively if you want to do real well. I think he’s great at that.”
He added: “I definitely feel comfortable with him going out there and leading our team.”
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The most recent win under Taylor’s belt came with the Giants on Jan. 7, 2024, when Big Blue beat the Eagles 27-10.
He has since played a part in five losses with the Jets.
Glenn debated a quarterback change prior to the first win of the season in Cincinnati, but Taylor was ruled out due to an injury.
A two-game winning streak went by and the loss to the Patriots put the delayed decision back on the table.
Now is the time for Glenn to team up with Taylor to show some progress in another empty season.