FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields, three days removed from a concussion, has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Jets, who are trying to avoid their first 0-3 start since 2021, will turn to Tyrod Taylor, the longtime backup who will make his first start for the Jets. Rookie Brady Cook will come off the practice squad to be New York's No. 2 quarterback.
Fields remains in the NFL's concussion protocol, coach Aaron Glenn said Wednesday before practice. The league has a five-step protocol for concussions, and the player must be cleared by an independent neurologist before returning to action.
It came as a surprise that Fields was declared out so early in the week, fueling speculation that he's not advancing through the protocol.
"I don't want to say that," Glenn said. "I just know how these things are and, to my knowledge, this will be a week he'll be out."
Fields, 26, wasn't at the facility Wednesday. He suffered the concussion Sunday in New York's 30-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. It ended a miserable day for Fields, whose Total QBR (1.1) was a career low. He completed only three of his 11 passes for 25 yards.
Now the Jets will look for a spark from 36-year-old Taylor, who hasn't started since the final game of the 2023 season, when he played for the New York Giants. He signed a two-year, $12 million contract to back up Aaron Rodgers in 2024 and saw action in only two games off the bench before Sunday.
"There's no better player that you'd want as your backup quarterback than him at this point in time," Glenn said.
Taylor replaced Fields during Sunday's blowout and led a touchdown drive on his second possession. He completed 7 of 11 passes for 56 yards, including a 5-yard scoring pass to tight end Jeremy Ruckert.
"[There's] no more pressure than any other game," Taylor said, looking ahead to the Bucs (2-0). "I'm as confident as ever in the guys within this locker room. We're facing a very good team, but I have all the belief and faith in the guys in this locker room that we can get a job done."
Taylor missed the entire preseason due to arthroscopic knee surgery, but Glenn dismissed the notion that he might be rusty.
"He has over 14 years of reps, so he's not new to this," Glenn said of Taylor, who has a 28-28-1 record as a starter over 14 seasons with seven teams.
Taylor walks into an offense that produced 32 points and 394 total yards in a Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but one that struggled mightily against the Bills. The Jets managed only 194 yards and didn't reach the red zone until late in the fourth quarter.