When the New York Jets battle the Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday, they will have a new starting quarterback as Jets coach Aaron Glenn announced that veteran Tyrod Taylor will replace Justin Fields.
“It was purely my decision, but I always have people that I talk to and just see how they handled situations, and that’s not even about the quarterback, to be honest,” Glenn said on Wednesday. “It’s just a part of what I do during the week with some guys, coaches that I trust that’s been successful in this League, and some of those guys have been through the process of changing quarterbacks, some of the guys have been through the process of being 2-8, the situation that we’re in and how they handled that, and just a number of things. But it was purely my decision. I felt like it was the time to do it. Again, I had good conversations with both of those guys and, listen, these situations are not always easy, but as a head coach, you have to do what’s best for the team, and I felt like it was best for the team.”
In the offseason, Glenn spoke highly of Fields, who threw for 1259 yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception this season, and even though he’s benching Fields, who the Jets signed to a two-year, $40 million deal in the offseason, Glenn says the offense’s problems are not all on him.
“Obviously, offensively, you want your passing game to be better, and listen, that’s not totally on him,” Glenn said. “There’s a number of things that go into that. That’s myself, that’s the routes that’s ran, 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 36-year-old Taylor, who is 0-1 as a starter for the Jets this season, is looking forward to the opportunity.
“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.”
Ironically, the 15-year veteran’s career began in Baltimore, where he spent four seasons with the Ravens, and on Wednesday, he reflected on his time there.
“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.”
The Jets, in their current state, are in desperate need of a spark. While it’s not certain that Taylor’s inclusion will lead to a significant change, it’s a move that probably had to be made.
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