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James Franklin is off to Virginia Tech. His $49 million payout shrank before that.
Penn State and Franklin negotiated his payout down to $9 million before he agreed to a deal with the Hokies, who plan to invest more in the football program.
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What does Justin Fields’ benching mean for the future of the Jets?
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — In his first personnel move as the New York Jets‘ coach, Aaron Glenn fired quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In his latest quarterback decision, Glenn benched Rodgers’ replacement, Justin Fields, signaling the most-likely end to the organization’s $30 million gambit after 10 games.
An NFL head coach doesn’t have an endless supply of mulligans, but Glenn will be afforded another swing to solve the riddle that has confounded the franchise since Joe Namath played his last game 50 years ago.
The next one is the big one. It will likely come in the form of a high draft pick (in 2026 or 2027) or perhaps a trade for a veteran.
What happened Monday — Glenn informed the team that Fields will be replaced by Tyrod Taylor — merely confirms the Jets (2-8) will have two lame-duck quarterbacks for the remainder of the season. It felt inevitable. Heck, Glenn almost made the switch four weeks ago after pulling Fields in a dreadful loss to the Carolina Panthers.
While New York will prepare for its final seven games, the long-term focus shifts to the offseason — when the Jets are expected to reset their quarterback depth chart. Yes, Fields is under contract for 2026 ($20 million salary, half of which is guaranteed), but it’s hard to imagine him as part of the plan. Taylor, 36, will be a free agent.
So there’s a good chance the Jets will start over, with a veteran and a rookie. They have a surplus of first-round draft picks, thanks to the recent Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams trades — two in 2026, three in 2027.
First, this question must be asked: Can the people who got it so wrong with Fields get it right with the next one?
Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey will be charged with the big decision, just as Joe Douglas was in 2021 (Zach Wilson) and Mike Maccagnan was in 2018 (Sam Darnold).
Neither one worked out. The Jets have a history of that, in case you didn’t know. Glenn and Mougey will have a chance to change the trajectory of the franchise, which has suffered through 14 straight non-playoff seasons, in large part, because of quarterback instability.
At the time, their thinking on Fields went like this: With seasoning and sound coaching, he can outperform his spotty NFL track record and push his way into long-term conversation. Sure, they knew it was a game of chance, like hoping to find a winning lottery ticket, but they liked the risk-reward ratio.
“What were their options?” a longtime personnel executive said. “Rodgers didn’t make sense and Fields, was the arrow still pointing up? I think so, so I’m not going to beat them up for it.”
Before the season, Mougey subscribed to the belief that Fields could be the next Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold — late-developing former high picks.
“I do believe Justin can be one of those guys,” Mougey said.
Nevertheless, here we are.
Pairing Fields with Tanner Engstrand, an inexperienced offensive coordinator from a drop-back system, hasn’t worked out. That Fields has failed as the Jets’ starter isn’t blockbuster news (since 2021, he’s 33rd out of 38 qualified passers in Total QBR); that he failed so spectacularly is what should raise concern.
So now they have options galore, setting up what figures to be a multi-layered strategy that could stretch into 2027. Their avenues include:
The 2026 draft. Just the Jets’ luck, there’s no super-elite prospect among the top quarterbacks, according to talent evaluators.
Dante Moore (Oregon), Fernando Mendoza (Indiana), Ty Simpson (Alabama) and LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina) are ranked first, second, fifth and 21st, respectively, on ESPN senior draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest Big Board. They’re all underclassmen, and there’s a feeling that Moore and Simpson could return to school for more seasoning.
Mougey has scouted Mendoza and Moore in person this fall. In fact, he witnessed Mendoza’s dramatic, game-winning drive against Penn State. Currently, the Jets hold the fifth pick in the draft, but they have the draft capital to trade up if they’re smitten with one of the top prospects.
2026 free agency. Two words — slim pickings. The only starter eligible for free agency is Daniel Jones, who likely will be retained by the Indianapolis Colts. The rest are backup types; you’d be hard-pressed to find even a bridge starter among the group.
2026 trade market. Kyler Murray, Kirk Cousins and Mac Jones are the names to watch. Joe Burrow has been bandied about on talk shows and such, but that seems like a pipe dream. Jones, who has resurrected his career in Kyle Shanahan’s quarterback-friendly offense, is the most intriguing option. As Brock Purdy‘s injury replacement, Jones is 5-3 with the San Francisco 49ers. Maybe he’d fit as a one- or two-year rental, allowing the Jets to wait until 2027 to draft their long-term solution.
In that sense, Jones would be like Fields. He’d also be the third Jets quarterback from the 2021 first round, joining Wilson and Fields.
Cousins, who has replaced injured Atlanta Falcons starter Michael Penix Jr. will have an opportunity to improve his value to the league. In 2018, the Jets made an unsuccessful free-agent bid for Cousins, which may have chafed some feelings in the organization.
Right now, the Jets are in quarterback hell. They’ve been frequent visitors to this place. Maybe they should’ve drafted one in the second or third round last spring, creating some hope. Maybe they should’ve taken Jaxson Dart in the first round. They opted to go all-in with Fields.
If the Jets cut Fields after the season, they will have to absorb $22 million in dead cap charges. They’re still paying off their debt from the ill-fated Rodgers mistake — $35 million in dead cap for 2026. Do the math: That would be $57 million for absent quarterbacks.
No matter what, the Jets are headed for a total rebuild at quarterback.
Sports
Jets bench struggling QB Fields, to start Taylor
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn has benched starting quarterback Justin Fields in favor of longtime backup Tyrod Taylor.
Taylor, 36, will start Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, the team that drafted him in 2011.
Glenn informed the team of the quarterback change in their Monday meeting, when they reconvened after their mini bye.
“It stinks to be a part of the [demotion],” said tight end Jeremy Ruckert, who played with Fields at Ohio State. “I take it personal, all the hate, all the talking that goes towards him. I take it personal. I’m one of the guys that takes the field with him, and I wish we could’ve done a better job to help him out, but he’s just a true professional.”
The move comes as no surprise, as Glenn indicated last Friday that he was “evaluating everything” — his first acknowledgement of a possible change.
Fields passed for only 116 yards in the Jets’ 27-14 loss to the New England Patriots last Thursday, continuing a season of profound struggles. The Jets’ passing attack is ranked 32nd in yards per game (139.9), with Fields having produced only 505 yards in his past five starts.
Fields is under contract through 2026 after signing a two-year, $40 million contract in March, but his future with the Jets is up in the air. They almost certainly will have a new starter in 2026, either a veteran or a rookie.
Fields is due to make $20 million in 2026, including $10 million guaranteed. His cap charge is $23 million.
With a 2-8 record, the Jets currently hold the fifth position in the 2026 draft. They own two first-round picks in 2026, plus another three in 2027, thanks to the recent Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams trades. In theory, it should be enough draft capital to trade up for a quarterback.
The Jets signed Fields, giving him a $30 million guarantee, because they felt he had untapped potential, and that he could potentially develop into a solid starter despite his spotty track record with the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers.
It hasn’t happened.
Fields ranks 30th out of 33 qualified passers in Total QBR (37.7), with only seven touchdown passes, 1,259 passing yards and one interception. He’s the second-leading rusher on the Jets, with 383 yards and a team-high four rushing touchdowns.
The benching almost happened a few weeks ago.
Fields was replaced at halftime in a Week 7 loss to the Carolina Panthers, and Glenn was leaning toward Taylor as his new starter, sources said. But Taylor was scratched on the eve of the Week 8 game against the Cincinnati Bengals due to a lingering knee injury, leaving Glenn no choice but to stay with Fields.
And Fields played his best game of the season, only a few days after he was publicly criticized by owner Woody Johnson. The team rallied around Fields, and the result was the team’s best offensive performance in years — 502 total yards.
He followed that up with a 51-yard passing performance against the Cleveland Browns, but he got a reprieve because the Jets won. Then came the clunker against the Patriots.
“Obviously, we have to do a better job in the passing game, and that has a lot to do with Justin getting the ball to the right guys,” Glenn said Friday.
So once again, the Jets have a muddled quarterback situation. Aside from last season, when Aaron Rodgers started every game, they have been undermined by quarterback instability. From 2021 to 2023, they started three different quarterbacks in each season, including four in 2023 — the year Rodgers tore an Achilles in Week 1.
Taylor has started one game this season — a Week 3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when Fields was out with a concussion. Taylor threw two touchdowns and an interception in nearly rallying the Jets to a come-from-behind win.
His record as a starter is 28-29-1.
Sports
Track star fires off message about trans-inclusion in female athletics: ‘It’s not fair and it’s not safe’
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Alexa Anderson, the former high school track athlete in Oregon who made waves when she refused to share a podium with a transgender competitor earlier this year, had a message for girls who are still experiencing the same issues on Monday.
While polls suggest that most Americans believe that females should only compete against females in sports, not all states have complied with President Donald Trump’s executive order to bar transgender athletes from competing against the gender they identify as.
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Alexa Anderson is a former Oregon high school girls’ track and field star and current women’s athlete at the University of South Alabama. (Courtesy of Alexa Anderson)
Anderson appeared on “America’s Newsroom” on Monday and said girls and women alike need to take a stand.
“My message is it’s not fair and it’s not safe, and we have to stand up as the girls affected by this issue,” she told Fox News Channel’s Dana Perino. “It is our job to stand up and tell the people in charge that we are not OK with this and we want change.”
Anderson and her teammate, Reese Eckard, decided to step off the podium after finishing in third place at the Oregon state championships in high jump. The moment went viral across the internet and helped intensify the spotlight on transgender athletes competing against women.

Oregon girls’ track and field athletes Reese Eckard and Alexa Anderson don’t stand on a medal podium next to a trans opponent. (Courtesy of America First Policy Institute)
Anderson recently detailed to Fox News Digital the death threats she received and the fight to even get her medal from the Oregon School Activities Association.
While speaking to Perino, Anderson recalled the moment she decided to take her stand.
“It was a very stressful moment,” Anderson said. “There were a lot of eyes on us. But in my heart, I knew that allowing biological men into women’s sports is not fair and I had to take a stand for that for all girls who had been affected by it.”
She added that she wouldn’t have done anything differently.
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“While there has been a lot of negative talk and name calling, I have been overwhelmed with the support and kindness of so many people that it has been worth it. Just hope that we get change,” she said.
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