The New York Jets will be without their starting quarterback in Week 3.
Head coach Aaron Glenn announced Wednesday that Justin Fields was ruled out for this Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to a concussion. Tyrod Taylor, a 15-year veteran, will start in his place.
Fields was injured in the fourth quarter of the Jets’ Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills when he was sacked by Joey Bosa. He left the game and did not return as Taylor finished in relief.
“He’s still going through his protocol,” Glenn told reporters.
Fields’ injury is another setback for the Jets, who left Week 1 with perhaps more optimism than any other losing team. Despite falling 34-32 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the offense under Fields looked explosive in his Jets debut.
After going 16 of 22 for 218 passing yards, 48 rushing yards and three total touchdowns in the opening, Fields completed just 3 of 11 passes for 27 yards before getting concussed. Taylor was 7 of 11 for 56 yards and a touchdown in mop-up duty.
Fields signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the Jets in March, while Taylor’s two-year, $12 million deal expires after this season.
In Week 3, the Jets will hit the road for the first time this season. The Buccaneers are 2-0 after a pair of last-minute victories against the Atlanta Falcons and Houston Texans.
Fields is among a number of starting quarterbacks who have been injured early in the season, including Joe Burrow, Brock Purdy, Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy.
It was the return of a familiar face for the Jets, as new head coach Aaron Glenn and new GM Darren Mougey were introduced during a press conference Monday. Glenn, a former first round pick for Gang Green in 1994, returns to where it all began for him in the league and coaching, as he and Mougey face the daunting task of a rebuild. NBC New York’s Bruce Beck reports.