The theme of the latter half of the 2025 season for the Jets has been evaluation. In the first year of the new regime, it’s clear Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey want to have a better understanding of the roster going into the 2026 offseason. The most obvious example of this philosophy was the switch from Justin Fields to Tyrod Taylor at quarterback. This has allowed for young wide receivers Adonai Mitchell and John Metchie III to get more opportunities in the passing game. However, if Aaron Glenn wants to continue this process, the starting quarterback could change again. Although he wasn’t drafted, the Jets do have a rookie quarterback on the roster. His name is Brady Cook.
Jets’ Quarterback Injury Could Open the Door for Undrafted Rookie
Brady Cook Upgraded to QB2 After a Justin Fields Injury
On Friday, Aaron Glenn announced that Justin Fields would be out this weekend with knee soreness. By proxy, Brady Cook will now be elevated to the backup quarterback spot for this week. This doesn’t guarantee that he sees starting reps in 2025, but it’s a small step towards that direction. Cook has been on the practice squad all year, only dressing to be the emergency quarterback on gamedays. This meant that the only way he could play was if both quarterbacks in front of him suffered injuries. Now that he’ll be the backup, he can get in the game whenever the coach wants him to. If the Jets get into a bad spot on Sunday, they could put Brady Cook in late in the game to see what he can do. It’s clear that Aaron Glenn believes in him as well:
Coach Glenn on rookie QB Brady Cook, who will be the backup to Tyrod Taylor Sunday with Justin Fields dealing with a knee injury pic.twitter.com/nW5bkJaWnZ
— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 5, 2025
The Jets could go beyond this, though. Injured or not, Justin Fields has shown borderline zero reason why he should be the backup for this team going forward. The Jets could, and probably should, do what the Giants are doing with Russell Wilson and make their big offseason investment into the third quarterback on gamedays. This would then definitely open the door for Brady Cook to take starting reps by the end of this season.
What to Know About the Jets’ Backup Quarterback
Brady Cook, as stated earlier, was an undrafted free agent for the Jets this offseason. He played college football for five seasons at Missouri. He was the starting quarterback of the Tigers for his final three seasons. During those seasons, he threw for 8,598 yards, 46 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, and averaged a 64% completion percentage. This is quite the resume for a player who went undrafted. NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein stated in his scouting report of Cook that he “struggles to make [NFL throws] with consistent timing and accuracy”, but he states that he’s capable of it. He goes on to finish his report stating that his “physical traits and athletic ability are worth a discussion as a developmental prospect”. Perhaps 14+ weeks of sitting behind Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor have helped him develop? Have Jets OC Tanner Engstrand and QB coach Charles London gotten him right? It’s mostly unknown until he steps foot on the field in the regular season.
The only somewhat reliable evidence Jets fans have to prove the previously stated question is from the preseason. In the preseason, Cook was solid, putting up 235 passing yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, and a 65.8% completion percentage in his three appearances. For the fun of it, there’s also practice footage!
Brady Cook
Allen Lazard at Jets practice pic.twitter.com/pE2ZUmiwCC
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) December 5, 2025
Cook’s Potential Ceiling in New York
Most Jets fans probably don’t believe that Brady Cook will even be on the team in the coming seasons. The Jets have an immense amount of early draft capital and will be securing a first-round quarterback in the next two years. However, this does not mean that Brady Cook can’t have a role going forward. The quarterback room in 2026 will look very different. Tyrod Taylor is not under contract next year, so he may not be in the fold at all. Justin Fields is under contract, but the writing on the wall says he’ll probably be gone, too. This means that before they even draft a rookie, who’s the only quarterback under contract in 2026? Brady Cook.
There are two paths from here then. First off, let’s assume the Jets are drafting a rookie quarterback in the first round no matter what. The first path involves signing a veteran quarterback to either start or back up the rookie in 2026. However, the veteran quarterback market this offseason looks very uninspiring as of right now. Assuming the Colts extend Daniel Jones, the only real options are bringing back Tyrod Taylor or signing Marcus Mariota. This would then leave Brady Cook on the practice squad again. The second path is that Brady Cook is the backup in 2026, and the aforementioned rookie starts right away. If the Jets believe in Cook as much as they say they do, then this would make sense. This would give the Jets an athletic, young backup option, which would make the transition from a rookie seamless if it’s needed. Brady Cook is an intriguing figure to watch in the next year for the Jets.
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