The New York Jets have placed quarterback Justin Fields on injured reserve due to a knee injury, potentially ending his tenure with the team. Head coach Aaron Glenn announced the news Tuesday.
Fields wasn’t likely to play again this season regardless of his injury status. The Jets benched him in favor of Tyrod Taylor following a Week 11 loss to the Patriots that concluded a 2-7 record with Fields as the starting quarterback. He has been inactive the past three games due to what the team called knee soreness.
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The Jets signed Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract in the offseason, hoping to revive the career of the former first-round pick. Instead, Fields was benched midseason and now is a cut candidate in the offseason ahead of the second year of his contract.
In nine games with the Jets, Fields completed 62.7% of his passes for 139.9 yards per game with seven touchdowns and one interception. He added 383 yards (5.4 yards per carry) and four touchdowns on the ground.
New York’s offense has been largely ineffective, regardless of whether Fields, Taylor or Brady Cook has started at quarterback. The 3-12 Jets enter Week 17 ranked 28th in the NFL with 18.8 points scored per game. Fields started in two of seven games in which the Jets scored 14 points or fewer.