Fans furious as struggling quarterback who was benched in November offered Pro Bowl invite

Justin Fields threw for just 1,259 yards before being benched in November, but that didn’t stop him getting a Pro Bowl invite.

After the New York Jets went 2-7 to start the 2025 NFL season, Fields and his seven touchdowns were sidelined in favor of Tyrod Taylor.

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To add to his misery, the 26-year-old signal caller was later placed on injured reserve, and his season officially ended before Christmas.

Following a miserable debut year in New York, there has been speculation that the Jets are ready to move on, with some labelling Fields a ‘failed experiment’.

But despite that, he was still offered a spot at the 2026 Pro Bowl — and turned it down.

Why did Justin Fields decline Pro Bowl invitation?

“One note before the Pro Bowl Games on Tuesday: Jets QB Justin Fields was asked to participate, I’m told,” NFL insider Ian Rapoport shared.

“He declined, focusing on his offseason training.”

Fields, who signed a two-year, $40 million contract with New York last March, will certainly need to put in the work ahead of next season.

He completed just 62.7% of his passes in 2025, for an average QBR of 38.8.

His 6.2 yards per attempt marked a career low for a signal caller who also played with the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers after entering the league as a first-round pick.

Still, though, he was offered a place at the Pro Bowl.

News that Fields was invited sparked further backlash towards an event that has already been heavily criticised by fans this year.

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Some had taken issue with Cleveland Browns star Shedeur Sanders being offered a replacement role, after several other quarterbacks suffered injuries or pulled out.

The idea that Fields could have been playing alongside him for the AFC has led to plenty of calls for the NFL to simply scrap what is supposed to be an All-Star game that features only the league’s top talent in a non-contact flag football game.

Furious NFL fans call for end to Pro Bowl

“It’s clear it’s time for the Pro Bowl to go away,” one wrote on X.

“He knows he doesn’t deserve it,” another said of Fields, who turned down the invite.

“Pro Bowl will take anyone at this point,” a third wrote.

“Starting to think I’m the only person who didn’t get invited to the Pro Bowl,” a fourth fan joked.

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“The Pro Bowl is officially dead,” a fifth concluded.

While Fields would have been a questionable addition, the 2026 Pro Bowl rosters are still stacked with talent.

The likes of Joe Burrow, Jonathan Taylor, Nico Collins and Ja’Marr Chase are set to combine for a scary AFC offense.

For the NFC, Dak Prescott, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Christian McCaffrey and Bijan Robinson all secured invites.

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On the defensive side of the ball, Aidan Hutchinson, Will Anderson Jr. and T.J. Watt will tear it up for their respective conferences.

In recent years, the Pro Bowl has lost its appeal, and is now a smaller-scale event integrated into annual Super Bowl festivities.

Plenty of fans simply choose not to tune in, but others believe the decisions made this year should signal the end of it for good.

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