Jets' Qwan'tez Stiggers Leaves Practice in Ambulance After Being Stretchered Off Field

New York Jets cornerback Qwan'tez Stiggers left the team's joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday in an ambulance.

According to ESPN's Rich Cimini, Jets players were "gathered around" an unidentified player and looked "deeply concerned," as he was given an IV and taken off the field on a stretcher. Head coach Aaron Glenn later confirmed that Stiggers was the player in distress.

Glenn said that Stiggers passed out when he came to the sidelines after a play. Glenn noted that Stiggers regained consciousness and was able to talk, before adding, "For the most part he's good."

Cimini added that practice was stopped for several minutes, and Stiggers was taken away in an ambulance.

Selected in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft, Stiggers is preparing to enter his third season with the Jets.

He appeared in 14 games—starting one of them—as a rookie, recording eight tackles. Stiggers followed that up by starting four of the 15 games he played last season, and registering 27 tackles, three passes defended and two fumble recoveries.

Stiggers' emergence as an NFL player has been a true underdog story, as he did not play college football after playing at The B.E.S.T. Academy high school in Atlanta.

Instead, Stiggers enjoyed stints in Fan Controlled Football and in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts before entering the 2024 NFL draft.

Stiggers was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie and an East All-Star in 2023, which paved the way for him to get drafted.

Following the trade of star cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts last season, Stiggers entered training camp and the preseason with a chance to compete for a starting job in 2026.

On their first unofficial depth chart for this coming season, the Jets listed Stiggers as the primary backup behind Brandon Stephens, who started 16 games for New York in 2025.