FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Justin Fields was back on the field for the New York Jets, but he didn't practice Friday — still a welcome sight for fans who were nervously holding their breath 24 hours earlier.
The quarterback dislocated a toe on his right foot early in practice Thursday and was carted from the field to the facility, where he had multiple tests before the team announced the diagnosis. Coach Aaron Glenn said Fields will be day to day and the Jets won't rush him back into practice.
“It is early, but also we want to make sure we get as many reps as we can with him,” Glenn said Friday after the team's first practice of training camp with fans in attendance. “So when he’s ready to come back, we’ll make sure he’s out on the field, make sure he’s getting those reps. Now, he’s going to be in meetings, he’s going to be in all those things.
"But for the most part, man, we’re going to work together and make sure it’s collaborative as far as when he gets back on the field.”
Fields wore his helmet as he spent most of practice on the sideline and with the rest of the offense while appearing to walk without a noticeable limp. Veteran backup Tyrod Taylor led the offense during practice, with Adrian Martinez and rookie Brady Cook also receiving snaps.
Fields was hurt when a teammate stepped on his foot while he threw an incomplete pass to Jeremy Ruckert on his fifth play of team drills. The quarterback sat on the grass for a few moments before getting up and limping badly to the sideline while helped by a trainer. He then sat in the passenger seat of a cart that took him from the field to the facility, where he got up and walked under his own power.
In the hours before the Jets confirmed the nature and severity of the injury, social media was buzzing about whether Fields could miss significant time.
“The huge storm that was created really made no sense,” Glenn said. “And I think that’s a lesson for all of us of, guys, let’s just wait until we get the diagnosis. And I will not BS you, all right? I will tell you exactly what it is and we’ll move on. So that shouldn’t happen again.”
Fields is in his first season with the Jets after playing last year in Pittsburgh. He spent his first three NFL seasons in Chicago after being the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Ohio State. Among the attributes that made him attractive to New York, which signed him to a two-year, $40 million deal in March, is his ability to make plays with his legs — something Glenn isn't concerned will be compromised by the injury.
“If Justin gets back to practice, that means he’s ready to go,” Glenn said. “So he’s going to be himself and I’m not going to hold him back from being himself. Now, the thing is we don’t want anybody to step on his toe, but he has to be himself when he’s out there because, to me, I try to make sure practice emulates games as much as possible. So I want him to be himself as he’s going through his practice.”
In the meantime, Taylor — who turns 36 on Aug. 3 and is the Jets' oldest player on the roster — will continue to work with the starting offense. He had a very solid practice until the final period, when the session ended on an interception by Andre Cisco.
“Justin is a brother of mine and I've been knowing him before he got here,” Taylor said, adding that the two often train together. “First and foremost, I wanted to make sure he was mentally good and physically good. I know that's tough and it's unfortunate in this game that we play that injuries happen, so you never want to see that happen to anyone, especially someone you know personally.”
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New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields (7) and quarterback Tyrod Taylor (2) walk in the field during drills at the NFL football team's training camp Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Florham Park, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Jets quarterbacks Justin Fields (7) and Tyrod Taylor (2) take part in drills at the NFL football team's training camp Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Florham Park, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields (7) throws a pass as he takes part in drills at the NFL football team's training camp Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Florham Park, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, the last Democrat to hold statewide office in Alabama, kicked off his campaign for governor Friday, saying voters deserve a choice and a leader who will put aside divisions to address the state's pressing needs.
“With your help we can finish what we began. We can build the Alabama we’ve always deserved,” Jones told a packed crowd at a Birmingham campaign rally featuring musician Jason Isbell.
He said the state has urgent economic, health care and educational issues that are not being addressed by those in public office.
The campaign kickoff came on the eighth anniversary of Jones' stunning 2017 win over Republican Roy Moore, and Jones said Alabama proved back then that it can defy “simplified labels of red and blue.”
“You stood up and you said something simple but powerful. We can do better,” Jones said. “You said with your votes that our values, Alabama values, are more important than any political party, any personality, any prepackaged ideology.”
His entry into the race sets up a possible rematch with Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who defeated Jones by 20 points in 2020 and is also now running for governor. Both will have party primaries in May before the November election.
Before running for office, Jones, a lawyer and former U.S. attorney, was best known for prosecuting two Ku Klux Klansmen responsible for Birmingham’s infamous 1963 church bombing.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Jones said families are having a hard time with things like health care, energy bills and simply making ends meet.
“People are struggling,” he said. “They are hurting.”
Jones used part of his speech to describe his agenda if elected governor. He said it is time for Alabama to join most states in establishing a state lottery and expanding Medicaid. Expanding Medicaid, he said, will protect rural hospitals from closure and provide health care coverage to working families and others who need it.
He criticized Tuberville's opposition to extending Affordable Care Act subsidies. Jones said many Alabama families depend on those subsides to buy health insurance "to keep their families healthy."
Alabama has not elected a Democratic governor since Don Siegelman in 1998. In 2020, Tuberville held Jones to about 40% of the vote, which has been the ceiling for Alabama Democrats in recent statewide races.
Retired political science professor Jess Brown said Jones lost in 2020 despite being a well-funded incumbent, and that's a sign that he faces an uphill battle in 2026.
“Based on what I know today, at this juncture of the campaign, I would say that Doug Jones, who’s a very talented and bright man, is politically the walking dead,” Brown said.
Jones acknowledged being the underdog and said his decision to run stemmed in part from a desire for Tuberville not to coast into office unchallenged.
Jones pointed to recent Democratic victories in Georgia, Mississippi and other locations as cause for optimism.
Tuberville, who previously headed up the football program at Auburn University, had “no record except as a football coach” when he first ran, Jones said. And “now there are five years of being a United States senator. There are five years of embarrassing the state.”
Jones continued to question Tuberville’s residency, saying he “doesn’t even live in Alabama, and if he does, then prove me wrong.” Tuberville has a beach house in Walton County, Florida, but has repeatedly said Auburn is his home.
Tuberville's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment but has previously noted that he defeated Jones handily in 2020. Tuberville spent part of Friday with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Huntsville to mark the official relocation of U.S. Space Command from Colorado to Alabama.
Jones' 2017 victory renewed the hopes, at least temporarily, of Democratic voters in the Deep South state. Those gathered to hear him Friday cheered his return to the political stage.
“I’m just glad that there’s somebody sensible getting in the race,” Angela Hornbuckle said. “He proved that he could do it as a senator.”
Former Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., and gubernatorial candidate waits to speak during an event Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Former Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., and gubernatorial candidate speaks during an event Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Former Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., and gubernatorial candidate speaks during an event Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Gubernatorial candidate former Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., speaks during an event Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
