It appears the New York Jets have avoided the potential disaster that struck during their second practice of training camp on Thursday morning. Quarterback Justin Fields was carted off the field with a dislocated toe, but he avoided a serious injury, the team announced.
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn initially didn’t share how severe Fields’ injury was, which occurred on the fifth play of Thursday’s practice. However, the Jets were hopeful Fields’ injury wasn’t serious and that he’d be ready for the start of the regular season, FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano reported before the team’s announcement. Fields could still miss time in training camp and the majority of the preseason, Vacchiano added. The team said Fields will be “day-to-day.”
“I know it was a quick throw, so I’m assuming someone stepped on his toe,” Glenn told reporters. “It had to be because of the nature of the call that we had as far as offensive play call. I want to look at the tape and be sure.”
After throwing an incomplete pass, Fields initially limped off the field and was examined by trainers on the sideline, according to Vacchiano. Fields spent a few minutes in the injury tent before a cart came out to transport him into the facility. The quarterback sat in the passenger seat next to the driver in the cart and then got up under his own power before stepping inside to be further evaluated.
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Glenn stopped the team period after Fields was hurt and the Jets ran special teams drills.
“When anybody goes down, there’s a lump in my throat,” Glenn said. “Listen, I hate injuries for any player, but the thing is I want to make sure that I understand exactly what the injury is before I move forward on my thought process.”
Fields signed a two-year, $40 million deal ($30 million guaranteed) with the Jets in March, with New York clearing the way for him to become its starting quarterback. The Jets’ quarterback room also includes veteran Tyrod Taylor, along with Adrian Martinez and Brady Cook, but Martinez and Cook have yet to play in an NFL game.
“I think the most important part is, if anything does happen to Justin, I don’t think there’s any drop-off as far as what we want to do when it comes to play calls,” Glenn said. ‘Very similar when you talk about skill set, so that was like enticing for us. And then the leadership ability … you could just tell the players really gravitate to him. When he says something, everybody really listens, even the coaching staff. He’s been around this league a long time. He knows what it takes to win, and he’s a really good person. So, we’re all excited to have that guy here.
“Listen, Justin is who he is and if something happens to him, we’ve got Tyrod and we’re ready to go.”
Fields joined New York after spending the 2024 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, starting the first six games of the season but then being benched for veteran Russell Wilson. Across the six starts and 10 combined appearances that he made, Fields totaled 1,106 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, one interception and a 93.3 passer rating, while completing 65.8% of his passes. Fields also rushed for 289 yards and five touchdowns.
Prior to being acquired by Pittsburgh in 2024, Fields spent the first three seasons of his NFL career with the Chicago Bears (2021-23), who traded up to select the quarterback with the No. 11 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Ohio State.
Injuries have hampered Fields throughout his NFL career, as the quarterback missed time in 2021 due to rib and ankle issues, respectively, followed by missing two games due to shoulder and hip issues in 2022 and four games in 2023 due to a thumb injury.
Fields’ injury history, coupled with the Jets’ longterm problems at quarterback, caused great concern among New York fans on Thursday. But Glenn is pleading the Jets’ fanbase to remain calm, saying he’s “been there and done that” as he dealt with a slew of injuries as the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator last year.
“I understand how this league is and I understand how social media starts to take over and everybody starts to panic,” Glenn said. “The one thing I would say is, listen, we have a number of men in that locker room that want to win. And we have a number of men in the locker room that’s learning how to win and it’s my job to make sure that I push that over the edge. And that’s my plan.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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