It looks like Aaron Glenn’s big gamble has turned into a nightmare for the New York Jets. His benching of Justin Fields right in the middle of Sunday’s 13-6 defeat against the Carolina Panthers has ruffled feathers. The franchise head coach brought Fields in for $40 million to fix the Jets’ struggling offense. But the ugly Sunday clash sparked discussions about Glenn’s commitment to Fields. Was it a mistake? 

“Why do you give this guy a 2-year $40 million contract with $30 million guarantee? We had other options…Daniel Jones. Not that Daniel Jones is coming back…but you had other options. They gave $30 million fully guaranteed to the guy who gets benched during Week 7 and arguably should have been benched during the game against the Broncos. Maybe they could have won that game if they pulled out,” Mike Florio from NFL on NBC said. But that was not all.

NFL veteran Chris Simms suggested that if Tyrod had played more this season, he would have completed some of the open throws. They also questioned why Glenn didn’t pull Fields out after a 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos.

“They need to start Tyrod Taylor. If Tyrod Taylor played a little bit more this year, he would have hit some of those throws over openly in the game that he threw interceptions with.” Even Taylor couldn’t help the struggling Jets on Sunday.

The Jets were down 13-3 at halftime when Aaron asked backup Taylor to replace Fields. Unfortunately, Tyrod’s arrival couldn’t turn around the team’s luck, and the offensive woes persisted. The Jets had consecutive three-and-out drives before they ran out of time. Taylor had two interceptions and recorded 126 passing yards in the second half. In the post-match conference, Glenn explained the rationale behind his halftime strategy.

“I felt that it was the right time to do it….It’s a tough situation for both of those guys, but it was my call. It was my call, and I felt it was the right time to do it,” he said. 

This raises a question about how Justin felt about being benched during the game.

Justin breaks his silence on Aaron Glenn’s half-time decision.

Justin has been facing criticism left, right, and center. After all, the player threw fewer than 100 yards in total between Week 6 and Week 7. However, all hell broke loose after the Jets recorded a horrible first half against the Panthers. Fields weighed in on his coach’s decision to send him off the field after the game.

Justin admitted that he was a bit “surprised” when Glenn benched him. But the QB knows it was needed at the moment.

“At the same time, I can’t be mad at the decision. I understand why. It’s life. It’s football. I’ve learned not to take anything personal,” he said. Personal or not, Coach Glenn needs to decide on who will start ahead of Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

“I’m not running away from the question at all. The thing is, I want to make sure I make the right decision. And I don’t want to make rash decisions, either.”Glenn said.

That being said, a team with a 0-7 record can’t afford to simply wait for the ‘right decision’. Accountability should be there, and it should start from Coach AG.