Last week, Aaron Glenn had no better choice. Now, he wants Brady Cook as his starting quarterback.
Even though either Justin Fields or Tyrod Taylor will be active on Sunday in New Orleans, the Jets head coach is using the antepenultimate game of a lost season to get another assessment of Cook, the undrafted rookie who will make his second career start.
Glenn said that Fields (knee) or Taylor (groin) — who continue to be evaluated in their recoveries from their respective injuries — will serve as the backup.
“I feel like I want to continue to evaluate [Cook] and see exactly how he’s gonna operate on a consistent basis,” Glenn said Wednesday. “[I like] everything that we’ve seen from training camp up to this point.”
In last week’s 48-20 loss in Jacksonville, Cook showed promise and inexperience, completing 22-for-33 passes for 176 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions, along with 39 yards rushing. The previous week in Miami, Cook unexpectedly entered in relief of an injured Taylor, completing 14-for-30 passes for 163 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in a 34-10 loss.
Brady Cook (right) will start again at quarterback for Jets. Bill Kostroun/New York Post
Glenn, who would not commit to keeping Cook as the starter for the remainder of the season, is hopeful that new defensive coordinator Chris Harris can help keep the 24-year-old quarterback on even footing against the Saints (4-10).
“Him coming into the first game when Tyrod got hurt and we were down 21, that wasn’t a good situation to be in,” Glenn said. “I want to see him in a situation where our defense, our offense and our special teams complement each other and see exactly how he’s gonna operate there. And I think he deserves an opportunity to do it.”
Cook, the first undrafted rookie quarterback to start for the Jets (3-11) since 1975, will be matched up against Saints rookie Tyler Shough, a second-round pick who has led New Orleans to back-to-back wins over the co-NFC South leaders (Buccaneers, Panthers) and started making his case as a foundational piece for the franchise.
Cook is just looking for another chance.
“It’s an opportunity for me to lead this team once again and try and get a win on the road. It’s really as simple as that,” Cook said. “There’s things to clean up. There’s a lot of work to do this week … No. 1 for me is ball security. I don’t want turning the ball over to be a habit. That’s not something that’s been a part of my game in the past and that’s something I want to clean up this week.”
While Shough was the third of 13 quarterbacks taken in the 2025 draft, Cook was deemed unworthy of any of the 257 picks, following a predraft process in which the former Missouri star’s only team meeting came with the Jets.
As the regular season approaches its conclusion, seven of the 13 quarterbacks who were drafted are still waiting to throw their first NFL pass.
And Cook is preparing for dozens more.
“We were deciding between a few teams,” Cook said of the draft’s aftermath. “Obviously the Jets were the only team I took a visit to, so I had a relationship with their staff. I kind of knew what their vision was and how they saw me in the picture and it was a pretty easy decision.
“This is why I chose the Jets: Opportunity. And because I believe in [Glenn].”