NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Less than a full week after New York Jets owner Woody Johnson trashed Justin Fields and head coach Aaron Glenn refused to name a starting quarterback for a “competitive advantage,” the Week 8 decision has been made without much of a choice.
Fields has struggled since signing a two-year, $40 million deal with Gang Green — to the point where he was benched at halftime for veteran Tyrod Taylor in their Week 7 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
However, Taylor suffered a knee injury in that game that will cause him to miss Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, leaving the Jets no choice but to start Fields.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Justin Fields and Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets stand on the sidelines during the national anthem prior to a NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Sept. 29, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Logan Bowles/Getty Images)
Johnson expressed his disappointment in Fields during the NFL owners’ meetings earlier this week.
“It’s hard when you have a quarterback with the rating that we’ve got,” he said. “He has the ability, but something is not jiving. If you look at any head coach with a quarterback like that, you are going to see similar results across the league. You have to play consistently at that position and that’s what we’re going to try to do for the remainder of the season.”
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson walks on the football field prior to an NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers, at Levi’s Stadium on Sept. 9, 2024, in Santa Clara, California. (Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)
NFL HITS GIANTS WITH HEFTY FINES FOR CONCUSSION PROTOCOL VIOLATION DURING EAGLES GAME
Fields has started six games with the Jets, missing Week 3 because he was in the concussion protocol. He has compiled a 91.1 passer rating this season.
Reports indicated that the Jets were planning on moving toward Taylor, as several people on the Jets thought he was the better quarterback.
As recently as Friday, Glenn refused to name a quarterback because he simply did “not want to” in a heated back-and-forth with the media. He added that the players knew who the quarterback would be.
New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn looks on during an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in London. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner will also miss the contest as the Jets look to avoid an 0-8 start.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.