New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields flew all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to take nine sacks and complete 9-of-17 passes for 45 yards in a 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos. He added 31 yards as a runner, but the positives were scant to nonexistent in what is now New York's sixth loss of the season. They are the only winless team remaining.
Denver did everything in its power to lose this football game — we can cook up some Bo Nix criticism next — but man, this Jets offense is something else. Like, it actually has to be something else, because it certainly does not qualify as an offense. Fields lost 55 yards on those nine sacks, meaning the Jets' technically registered -10 passing yards as a unit. Fields was barely responsible for more forward progress than backward progress, and only because he can scramble occasionally when the pocket collapses.
It's not right to blame Fields for everything that's wrong in New York. At this time last season, he was 4-2 as the Pittsburgh Steelers' starter. We all thought he was a better option than Russell Wilson. All signs pointed to the Steelers wanting to bring Fields back this summer, too. The Jets are an incredibly bad team, from top to bottom. It's unreasonable to expect any sort of success behind that offensive line. OC Tanner Engstrand probably won't have his job for long. Fields is very much a product of his awful circumstances.
That said... you can't throw for 45 yards and take 55 yards in sacks, even after a long flight to London, and expect to keep your job for long. Here are some viable replacement options for the Jets.
Tyrod Taylor, New York Jets
It feels counterintuitive for an 0-6 team to bench its 26-year-old quarterback for a 36-year-old journeyman backup. The Jets are purposefully bad at this point. There's no light at the end of the tunnel in 2025. The goal is to lose as many games as possible and hopefully land a franchise quarterback near the top of the draft next April.
But here's the rub: even bad teams need to develop winning habits. Even losses need to feel semi-productive in the grand scheme of things. Fields' incompetence is bad not only for him, not only for the Jets, but also for Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall and the Jets' playmakers. These young, foundational pieces who need to receive the football in advantageous positions, even if it's in service of the NFL's worst record.
The Jets can afford to lose football games, but they cannot afford to stall the development of their entire offensive roster just to keep Fields in the mix. Tyrod Taylor is not a miracle worker. He's not going to come in and lead a triumphant turnaround that lands New York in the postseason. But he's a proven commodity, capable of managing the stress of a weak O-line and at least moving the football through the air with occasional success. All the Jets need right now is occasional success.
Switching to Taylor makes everyone on the Jets happier and helps them potentially get a few good habits under their belt before switching to a rookie in 2026.
Tanner McKee, Philadelphia Eagles
Every preseason, Tanner McKee comes in and looks like the greatest quarterback of all time. He was elevated to Philadelphia Eagles QB2 this season after the Kenny Pickett trade, but the Eagles aren't short on alternatives. Both Sam Howell and Kyle McCord are capable of stepping up in a pinch. As such, McKee should be available for the right price.
Is the McKee mystique going to wear off quickly behind that Jets' offensive line? Almost certainly. But is he a more dependable option than Justin Fields at this point? Again, almost certainly. McKee made two appearances last season. He completed 3-of-4 passes against the Cowboys for 54 yards and two touchdowns in Week 16 (not a typo). In Week 17, his only start at the NFL level, McKee completed 27-of-41 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns. He only took a couple sacks, he didn't turn it over, and the Eagles beat the Giants, 20-13.
That is an incredibly small sample size, but combine it with McKee going blow-for-blow with Joe Burrow in the preseason, and it feels like a smart gamble for the Jets. McKee operates efficiently and appears capable of stretching the defense with his arm. Fields is too timid. He limits turnovers, but he also takes sacks, scrambles into no-man's land, and does everything in his power to avoid risky throws. You can't avoid risk at the quarterback position. You need to embrace it, mitigate it, and make some damn plays. Fields is not capable of it, at least not with this Jets roster.
McKee will find a whole new level of challenge in New York compared to the personnel cushion he has in Philly, but he's worth a phone call.
Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh Steelers
There is a certain irony to replacing Justin Fields with his own replacement. Whomever replaces Fields is his replacement, of course, but Mason Rudolph has already replaced Fields once. Rudolph was the quarterback Pittsburgh turned to after Fields picked New York. He inked his Steelers contract the day after Fields was officially named a Jet.
Rudolph is a known commodity in Pittsburgh. He filled in for an injured Kenny Pickett back in 2023 and wound up starting in the playoffs, even after Pickett returned to full strength. Rudolph is sort of your prototypical quarterback: 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, with a strong arm and an admirable fearlessness in the pocket. That can lead to turnovers — nine TDs and nine INTs with the Titans last season — but on balance, Rudolph is a perfectly competent stopgap for a team in need.
The Jets' passing attack would quickly reap the reward of a move to Rudolph. Garrett Wilson probably won't say it into a microphone, but he'd be celebrating in the streets with this particular upgrade. The Jets need to start throwing the football — really throwing the football — in order to wake up the offense. Rudolph doesn't take a ton of preventable sacks. He gets the football out quickly, oftentimes where it needs to go. He's not without his warts, but he's an above-average backup, which is probably more than we can say for Fields right now.
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts own the best point differential in the NFL through five weeks. This is not where any of us expected to be, but we all must hand it to Daniel Jones. He looks like an MVP candidate and the Colts' offense is a total buzzsaw, with a rock-solid defense to boot. Unless this is all a mirage, there is nothing tangible to suggest that Indy can't keep it up.
As a result, it's becoming clearer and clearer that former first-round pick Anthony Richardson will be dealt before the November deadline. Richardson is a complicated evaluation. He might be the most naturally gifted athlete in the NFL. He can launch it 50 yards with a flick of the wrist, he's an elusive runner out in space, and he has some flourishes of improvisation that remind one of vintage Patrick Mahomes. But Richardson also takes a ton of sacks, throws a ton of interceptions, and generally struggles with processing under pressure.
In 11 starts last season, Richardson led the NFL in yards per completion (14.4), but took 14 sacks and threw 12 interceptions, compared to only eight passing touchdowns. He also committed nine fumbles and scored six rushing touchdowns. So, on the whole, 14 touchdowns and 21 turnovers. Not a great ratio.
If your response to that is "why on earth would the Jets want to deal with him?" — fair! Richardson is a developmental project. A long-term investment. Put him behind the Jets' offensive line and bad things are going to happen. But at the end of the day, he's going to chuck it. The offense will become far more explosive, even if that explosiveness is paired with more volatility. Plus, the odds of Richardson becoming a franchise quarterback within five years are much higher than the odds with Fields.
Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns
There's a nonzero chance the Cleveland Browns are tired of the Shedeur Sanders distraction. It's not really anyone's fault — Sanders can't help the obsessive following he built up at Colorado — but there's no way for the Browns to start Dillon Gabriel without a significant portion of fans (and the media) wondering when Sanders' turn will come, even if it's never going to come.
The rookie was recently elevated to QB2, so the Browns in theory "need" him. Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett were both dealt away. Cleveland is going with the youth movement. But Deshaun Watson's return is around the corner (ominous, I know) and there are alternatives out there, such as... Justin Fields? The Browns can find a less distracting way to set the stage for Gabriel if he is their franchise building block of choice.
Meanwhile, Sanders can finally get his starting opportunity in New York. He was a fifth-round pick, of course, but he is more talented than his draft slot might suggest. Sanders would face a steep learning curve in New York. He took a lot of sacks in the preseason. He'll need to get the football out quicker and trust his arm. But Sanders set the college football record for completion percentage. He's not here because of name value only. The Jets' offense cannot get worse than it currently is and with Sanders, there's at least a chance of some long-term equity. Even if he's just a backup to the No. 1 pick in a year.
The Jets might not want to invite the scrutiny that comes with Sanders, especially on a team that's only going to win a couple of games. But he is a better option than Fields. That much is clear.