The Jets‘ rollercoaster at quarterback continues this week with a rookie under center.
After Jets coach Aaron Glenn ruled out both Tyrod Taylor (groin) and Justin Fields (knee soreness), undrafted rookie free agent Brady Cook will make his first start against the Jaguars on Sunday.
Taylor injured his groin during the first quarter of the Jets’ 34-10 loss to the Dolphins last Sunday, and Cook replaced him. Fields hasn’t played since he was benched after the Jets’ Nov. 13 loss to the Patriots.
Given their 3-10 record and their 15th consecutive year out of postseason contention, they would be wise to start Cook for the rest of the season.
Let’s face it, the Jets will have a new quarterback next year anyway and they might as well see what they have in Cook. They signed him right after the 2025 NFL Draft, after they did not draft a quarterback.
“I really enjoy just watching guys on this team get an opportunity in general,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said about Cook. “I don’t care draft pick, not a draft pick, where you come from, because I know how hard it is in this business and sometimes you only have one shot, and when you have that one shot, man you have to shine in that shot because you never know if you’re going to get it again, so he understands that, along with any other guy that gets an opportunity, they understand that also.
“And man, I am looking forward to him going out just like any of our other guys that has gotten a shot and has shown up, so this will be a good week for him.”
Cook is viewed as a development player, but considering how poorly the quarterback spot has gone for the Jets this year, what more do they have to lose? The Jets will have a new starting quarterback next year, and these last four games [at Jaguars, at Saints, vs. Patriots, at Bills] will be an evaluation period for all players, including Cook.
If the Jets lose games with Cook under center, they will have a shot to get a top-five spot in the 2026 NFL Draft, which will help them get a quarterback like Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza or Oregon’s Dante Moore. If Cook looks like a competent quarterback, the Jets could have something for the future.
Fields, 26, was signed in March to a two-year, $40 million contract with the hopes he could be the next quarterback who finds success with a different team that drafted him. But he looked very much like the same player he was with the Bears and Steelers. Fields was benched following nine starts and after leading the Jets to a 2-7 record and the worst passing attack in the NFL.
Now Fields is injured, his time with the Jets could come to an end next offseason. Although the Jets owe Fields $10 million guaranteed, they can release him with a June 1 designation and get a cap savings of $10 million.
There were thoughts that Taylor, 36, could be the Jets’ bridge quarterback next season. But he continues to be snakebitten by injuries throughout his career.
Taylor has suffered knee and groin injuries this year, which have prevented him from starting games. Considering his age and injury history, it seems unlikely the Jets would re-sign Taylor, who will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
It is rare for a rookie to be in this position, but Cook, 24, had some upside coming out of Missouri. But his injury history and passing inaccuracies played a significant role in Cook not being drafted.
Cook is highly athletic, as shown by his 4.59 40-yard dash at the Combine last February. He has an above-average arm and can make most NFL throws. During his five seasons at Missouri, Cook finished with 9,251 yards, 50 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.
“I’d say my goal was to really maximize any opportunity that presented itself, and I feel like I’ve done that thus far,” Cook said. “Whether it was training camp, preseason opportunities, opportunities to be elevated earlier this season, and then obviously last week and right now. I think there’s just a string of opportunities that get presented and my goal was to just take advantage of as many of them as I could.”
Cook played every bit like an undrafted rookie free agent against the Dolphins after he entered the game with the Jets trailing 21-0 in the first quarter. He appeared nervous after putting too much heat on his passes. Cook also made his share of mistakes throughout the game, which was expected given the situation he was thrown into with very few practice reps.
Cook completed 14-of-30 passes for 163 yards and two red zone interceptions. He also fumbled twice and was sacked six times. It also didn’t help matters that Jets receivers had six drops against the Dolphins.
There were always expected to be bumps in the road during Glenn’s first season with the Jets. But I’m not sure many people expected only three wins coming into December.
Cook is not the Jets quarterback of the future. But with four games remaining, there’s some hope that Cook could be a decent enough backup quarterback who could stay on the Jets roster next year and beyond.
Glenn describes Cook as smart, tough, and competitive, which are traits he wants in a quarterback. Despite times calling for desperate measures, there’s no downside in playing Cook in what has already been a nightmare season at quarterback for the Jets.
“It slowed down a little bit for him in the second half,” Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand said about Cook. “I was really happy with, ultimately, how he performed.
“We’ve got to clean up the turnovers and the fumbles and he knows that, but there’s some things that he did in the pass game, as far as playing on time and working through his progressions and putting the ball in the right place, that were very encouraging.”
