Justin Fields' season is officially over. The Jets placed the quarterback on injured reserve, ending a rocky 2025 campaign that never quite found its footing.
Fields, who signed a two-year, $40 million deal with New York this past offseason, hasn’t played since November 13. And while the hope was that he’d return down the stretch, lingering knee soreness-and a lack of progress in his recovery-ultimately shut that door.
First-year head coach Aaron Glenn addressed the decision, acknowledging the team’s efforts to get Fields back on the field just didn’t pan out. “Man, we tried to see how we can get this to work, but it wasn't getting as better as we would like it,” Glenn said. “So, we want to make sure we get a focus on that to make sure we get him better.”
It’s a disappointing end to a season that started with promise. Fields made nine starts for the Jets, throwing for 1,259 yards with seven touchdowns to just one interception. His completion rate sat at 62.7%-a respectable number-but the offense never consistently clicked, and the Jets struggled to generate momentum.
The turning point may have come on November 17, when the Jets pivoted to veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor. That move signaled a shift in direction, and while Taylor’s time under center was short-lived due to injury, it opened the door for undrafted rookie Brady Cook. Cook has started the last two games and will get the nod again in Week 17 against the Patriots, Glenn confirmed.
Cook’s emergence adds another wrinkle to what’s already shaping up to be a pivotal offseason for New York. Fields carries a $23 million cap hit next year, and if the Jets choose to move on, they’d be staring down $22 million in dead cap. That’s a heavy financial decision for a team that sits at 3-12 and is clearly still searching for long-term answers at quarterback.
The final two games-against the Patriots and Bills-won’t change much in the standings, but they could offer a closer look at what the Jets have in Cook. For Fields, meanwhile, the future is murky. Once viewed as a potential franchise cornerstone, he now finds himself facing an uncertain path forward in New York.
The Jets took a swing on Fields. And while the numbers weren’t disastrous, the results on the field just didn’t match the expectations that came with his arrival. Whether this is the end of the line for Fields in green and white remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the Jets’ quarterback carousel is still spinning, and the search for stability continues.