Brady Cook getting third straight start for Jets against Patriots in home finale

Brady Cook is getting at least one more start for the New York Jets.

Coach Aaron Glenn announced Monday that the undrafted rookie quarterback will be under center Sunday in the team's home finale against the AFC East-leading New England Patriots.

It'll be the third consecutive start for Cook, who spent most of the season on the practice squad before getting an opportunity to play because of injuries to Tyrod Taylor and Justin Fields.

"I think he’s highly competitive, I think he's composed, I think he understands our offense,” Glenn said Monday. "Obviously, there’s some things that we have to do better to help him. There’s some things that he has to do better to help himself also.

“But, yeah, I think all those traits that we talked about before are still things that I look forward to seeing with him continue to improve as he continues to get these starts.”

With the Jets 3-12 and playing out the stretch of a lost season, Glenn and his staff want to get an extended look at Cook as they head into the offseason. The team's biggest question mark is who their quarterback will be moving forward, and Glenn wouldn't say Cook could potentially be in the mix to be New York's starter beyond this season.

“Well, I really want to focus on what we’re doing now,” Glenn said. “And I want to focus on New England.”

That means Cook has at least one more start, and probably two, to help solidify a spot as a player to move forward with — at least as a suddenly experienced backup.

In a 29-6 loss to the Saints, Cook went 22 of 35 for 188 yards with no touchdowns and one interception — and was sacked eight times.

“All of our hands are involved with some of the mistakes that happened in that game,” Glenn said. “But I thought that he did a really good at the beginning of the game, managing the game the right way.”

In three games, including the last two starts, Cook has completed 59.8% of his passes (58 of 98) for 527 yards and one touchdown and six interceptions. He has also been sacked a whopping 17 times, a clear indication of how quickly the game is moving for the rookie.

But Cook is making a strong impression on his teammates, on and off the field.

“I feel like everybody in the huddle believes in him,” wide receiver Isaiah Williams said. "And he demands that. I feel like his preparation — every Monday, every Tuesday, he'll hit up the guys, like, ‘Let’s watch some film together, make sure we're on the same page.'

“So the biggest thing that stands out when I think of Brady Cook is his leadership and his confidence. And those are two things people can buy into.”

Special teams. The unit has been a bright spot all season. Nick Folk, the 41-year-old kicker, is 27 of 28 on field goals and 21 of 21 on extra points. Austin McNamara has been a field-flipping punter in his first full NFL season. Williams and Kene Nwangwu have combined for three return TDs this season and are always a threat to score when teams actually kick to them.

Third-down offense. The Jets went 2 for 15 on third down against the Saints, a dismal showing that largely contributed to New York getting only 195 total yards of offense. For the season, the Jets are 27th in the NFL in third-down conversion percentage at 35%.

LB Jamien Sherwood. The Jets signed Sherwood to a three-year, $45 million contract extension in the offseason and he was voted a team captain. But he has not had as productive a season as expected in a new defensive scheme. Sherwood had his best game of the season Sunday under interim defensive coordinator Chris Harris, who took over last week for the fired Steve Wilks. Sherwood tied Quincy Williams for the team lead with 11 tackles and added a sack, two tackles for loss and a quarterback pressure.

LG John Simpson. The veteran offensive lineman had two penalties against the Saints, including a chop block late in the first quarter that wiped out a 4-yard scramble by Cook for a first down on third-and-1. Simpson, scheduled to be a free agent, has 11 accepted penalties this season, tied for second most in the NFL behind Chicago offensive tackle Darnell Wright's 12.

DT Jay Tufele was carted from the sideline with a foot injury and he'll be evaluated throughout the week. ... TE Mason Taylor (neck), LB Kiko Mauigoa (neck) and DL Eric Watts (concussion) sat out Sunday.

15 — The Jets have gone 15 games without an interception, the longest such drought in NFL history. By not getting one at New Orleans, New York broke a tie with San Francisco, which ended their 14-game drought earlier this season.

The Jets finish their home schedule against the playoff-bound Patriots, who after going 4-13 last year serve as an example how things can flip for a franchise from one season to the next.

“For the fans, listen, it’s going to be a tough road,” Glenn said. “We knew that, but, man, the thing is, we know exactly what we’re doing and we do have a plan. Just don’t let go of the rope, I would say that.”

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New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn reacts while talking with an offical during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Ella Hall)

New York Jets guard Joe Tippmann (66) celebrates after a field goal during the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Ella Hall)

New York Jets quarterback Brady Cook (4) scrambles as New Orleans Saints defensive end Carl Granderson (96) defends during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New York Jets quarterback Brady Cook throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Ella Hall)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump is gathering with top national security officials on Monday, a meeting that comes as the U.S. Coast Guard steps up efforts to interdict oil tankers in the Caribbean Sea as part of the Republican administration's escalating pressure campaign on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's government.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Navy Secretary John Phelan are scheduled to join Trump, who is vacationing at his Mar-a-Lago resort, for what the White House called a "major announcement." Trump plans to discuss a shipbuilding initiative at the event, according to a White House official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

But Trump's gathering of key members of his national security team also comes at yet another inflection point in his four-month pressure campaign on the Maduro government, which began with the stated purpose of stemming the flow of illegal drugs from the South American nation but has developed into something more amorphous.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has started evacuating the families of diplomats from Venezuela, according to a European intelligence official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information.

The official told The Associated Press the evacuations include women and children and began on Friday, adding that Russian Foreign Ministry officials are assessing the situation in Venezuela in “very grim tones.” The White House and Kremlin did not respond to requests for comment.

Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yván Gil on Monday said he spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, who he said expressed Russia's support for Venezuela against Trump's declared blockade of sanctioned oil tankers.

“We reviewed the aggressions and flagrant violations of international law that have been committed in the Caribbean: attacks against vessels and extrajudicial executions, and the unlawful acts of piracy carried out by the United States government,” Gil said in a statement.

More than 10 vehicles with diplomatic license plates were parked Monday morning outside Russia’s embassy in Caracas. No people could be seen going in or out of the embassy. All vehicles had moved by early afternoon.

In the Caribbean, the U.S. Coast Guard on Monday continued for the second day to chase a sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration describes as part of a “dark fleet” Venezuela is using to evade U.S. sanctions. The tanker, the official added, is flying under a false flag and is under a U.S. judicial seizure order.

It is the third tanker pursued by the Coast Guard, which on Saturday seized a Panama-flagged vessel called Centuries that U.S. officials said was part of the Venezuelan shadow fleet.

The Coast Guard, with assistance from the Navy, seized a sanctioned tanker called Skipper on Dec. 10, also part of the shadow fleet of tankers that the U.S. says operates on the fringes of the law to move sanctioned cargo. That ship was registered in Panama.

Trump, after that first seizure, said the U.S. would carry out a “blockade” of Venezuela. Trump has repeatedly said that Maduro's days in power are numbered.

Last week, Trump demanded that Venezuela return assets that it seized from U.S. oil companies years ago, justifying anew his announcement of a blockade against sanctioned oil tankers traveling to or from the South American country.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose agency oversees the Coast Guard, said in a Monday appearance on “Fox & Friends” that the targeting of tankers is intended to send “a message around the world that the illegal activity that Maduro is participating in cannot stand, he needs to be gone, and that we will stand up for our people.”

While U.S. forces targeted the vessels in international waters , a tanker that's considered part of the shadow fleet was spotted moving between Venezuelan refineries, including one about three hours west of the capital, Caracas.

The tanker remained at the refinery in El Palito through Sunday, when families went to the town’s beach to relax with children now on break from school.

Music played on loudspeakers as people swam and surfed with the tanker in the background. Families and groups of teenagers enjoyed themselves, but Manuel Salazar, who has parked cars at the beach for more than three decades, noticed differences from years past, when the country’s oil-dependent economy was in better shape and the energy industry produced at least double the current 1 million barrels per day.

“Up to nine or 10 tankers would wait out there in the bay. One would leave, another would come in,” Salazar, 68, said. “Now, look, one.”

The tanker in El Palito has been identified by Transparencia Venezuela, an independent watchdog promoting government accountability, to be part of the shadow fleet.

Area residents on Sunday recalled when tankers would sound their horns at midnight New Year’s Eve, while some would even send up fireworks to celebrate the holiday.

“Before, during vacations, they’d have barbecues; now all you see is bread with bologna,” Salazar said of Venezuelan families spending the holiday at the beach next to the refinery. “Things are expensive. Food prices keep going up and up every day.”

Meanwhile, the Defense Department, under Trump's orders, continues its campaign of attacks on smaller vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean that it alleges are carrying drugs to the United States and beyond.

At least 104 people have been killed in 28 known strikes since early September. The strikes have faced scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers and human rights activists, who say the administration has offered scant evidence that its targets are indeed drug smugglers and that the fatal strikes amount to extrajudicial killings.

Garcia Cano reported from El Palito, Venezuela, and Burrows reported from London.

The access ramp to the entrance of the Russian Embassy is under construction in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Children play at the beach near El Palito port in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

The El Palito refinery rises above a beach in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Evana, an oil tanker, is docked at El Palito port in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)