Jets Place Justin Fields on Injured Reserve, Ending His 2025 Season

Justin Fields’ 2025 season with the New York Jets officially ended Tuesday, December 23, when head coach Aaron Glenn announced the quarterback had been placed on injured reserve. With only two games remaining on the Jets’ schedule, the move guarantees Fields will not return this season, as injured reserve requires a minimum four-game absence.

“There is only one guy of note that I really want to speak on when it comes to injuries,” Glenn said. “We are gonna put Justin on IR. We tried to see how we could get this to work, right, but it wasn’t getting as better as we’d like it. So we wanna make sure that we focus on that to make sure we get him better.”

Fields has been dealing with knee “soreness” that first appeared during the practice week before the Jets’ home game against the Miami Dolphins on December 8. He was inactive for the games against the Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New Orleans Saints. Although he was listed as the emergency third quarterback against New Orleans, he did not play. Glenn said the decision to move Fields to injured reserve was based on the injury’s slow improvement and the desire to prioritize recovery.

When asked whether Fields would need surgery, Glenn said the determination would be left to the medical staff, and if surgery is required, the timing would allow it to be addressed during the offseason so Fields could return healthy.

The announcement came as the Jets prepared for their Week 17 game against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium, and the betting market reacted quickly to the confirmation that Fields’ season was over. Early odds had New England listed as roughly a 9.5-point road favorite. As the week progressed and it became clear that undrafted rookie Brady Cook would start again at quarterback, the spread moved significantly. DraftKings and FanDuel listed the Patriots as 13.5-point favorites, while the total settled at 42.5 points. Moneyline prices reflected the same shift, with New England listed near -1000 at several sportsbooks and the Jets priced as heavy underdogs. Betting projections cited by BetMGM gave the Patriots a win probability of about 77 percent, while FanDuel Research listed the figure just under 73 percent.

Fields’ season ends after a year that began with high expectations following his arrival in New York. The Jets signed him in March to a two-year, $40 million contract that included $30 million in guaranteed money and named him the starting quarterback shortly thereafter. Fields joined the Jets as an unrestricted free agent after three seasons with the Chicago Bears, who selected him 11th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, and one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He started nine of the Jets’ first ten games, missing only Week 3 at Tampa Bay while in the NFL’s concussion protocol. For the season, Fields completed 128 of 204 passes for 1,259 yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception, finishing with a 62.7% completion rate. He was sacked 27 times. As a runner, he carried the ball 71 times for 383 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 5.4 yards per carry.

The Jets’ passing offense struggled to produce consistent results. Fields recorded individual passing totals of 218, 226, 283, and 244 yards, with the 244-yard performance coming in a 39–38 comeback win at Cincinnati. Other outings included 45 passing yards against Denver and 54 yards in a 27–20 home win over the Cleveland Browns. Fields finished the season with a 2–7 record as a starter and passed for 505 yards over his final five starts.

Glenn benched Fields on November 17, turning to veteran Tyrod Taylor. Taylor later missed time with groin and knee injuries, which led the Jets to start Brady Cook. Cook has been announced as the starter for Sunday’s game against the Patriots, his third consecutive start and the Jets’ final home game of the season. Taylor was listed as the backup against the Saints but did not play. Hendon Hooker, a third-round pick of the Detroit Lions in the 2023 draft, was signed to the Jets’ practice squad last week.

Questions about Fields’ future with the Jets surfaced immediately following the injured reserve announcement. ESPN’s Rich Cimini asked Glenn whether he expects Fields to be back with the team in 2026.

“We will see how that goes,” Glenn said. “We are focused on New England right now.”

Justin Fields’ future with the #Jets is very much up in the air.

ESPN’s Rich Cimini asked HC Aaron Glenn if he anticipates Fields being back with the team in 2026.

AG: [Laughs] ‘We will see how that goes. We are focused on New England right now.’

Cimini: ‘I had to ask.’

AG:… pic.twitter.com/vXKELIwX35

— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) December 23, 2025

Fields is scheduled to count $23 million against the Jets’ 2026 salary cap, including $20 million in salary, with $10 million guaranteed. If the Jets were to move on from him, it would result in $22 million in dead money, which could be spread over two seasons with a post–June 1 designation.

Glenn stated that the disappointment tied to Fields’ 2025 season stems from the gap between team expectations and on-field results. He clarified that this assessment applies to any player who enters the season with high expectations but does not achieve the outcomes the organization anticipated.