New York Jets owner Woody Johnson said he believes that new head coach Aaron Glenn is turning around parts of the organization despite his 0-7 record. Instead, Johnson has put the blame for the Jets winless record on quarterback Justin Fields.
The Jets owner went viral for his comments in an interview in Manhattan on Tuesday.
“It looks like [Glenn] is turning around parts of it,” Johnson said. “It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that we’ve got.”
Field signed a two-year deal worth $40 million, including $30 million in guaranteed money. The Jets don’t have a lot of incentive to release Fields in the offseason either. If New York cuts ties with the former first-round pick, the Jets will free up just $1 million in cap space and take on a $22 million dead cap hit.
“Defense and special teams are doing better,” Johnson said. “Defense is pretty good. If we could just complete a pass it would look good. You have to complete a pass, you have to convince them you can do something, otherwise it’s hard to have a game you can win.”
New York currently has just two quarterbacks on its active roster: Fields and veteran QB Tyrod Taylor. At 36 years old, Taylor is far from a long-term solution. He has thrown for as many touchdowns as interceptions (three) this season and ranks near the bottom of the league in QBR (36.5).
That said, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Taylor get the start after Johnson’s comments. With upcoming games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, it might be the right time to make a move.
New York also has a few other winnable games on the schedule in Week 14 versus Miami (1-6) and Week 16 on the road against New Orleans (1-6).
Could The Jets Turn The Offense Over To An Undrafted Rookie?
With little left to play for, the Jets could eventually turn to undrafted rookie Brady Cook out of Missouri. Cook played during the preseason and beat out Adrian Martinez for the Jets No. 3 QB job.
Cook could be elevated from the practice squad towards the end of the season. He completed 66% of his passes for 235 yards with one touchdown and one interception in three preseason appearances.
Despite his overall stats, he showed impressive composure, timing, and feel in the pocket, which are all traits that the Jets QBs have been lacking through seven games.
