The New York Jets exhibited something Monday by agreeing to a deal with Justin Fields as their presumptive starting quarterback that has been severely lacking from the organization throughout their 14 straight seasons of missing the playoffs.
Self-awareness.
Nobody in the Jets front office under first-year general manager Darren Mougey will be clamoring to say this is slam-dunk move. This isn’t a long-term marriage, as the contract is a reported two years at $40 million with $30 million guaranteed, which seems like a boatload of cash, but for a quarterback in this day and age simply is not. This is a rebound from what turned into a toxic relationship with Aaron Rodgers, after the new regime told Rodgers a combination of “it’s not you, it’s us” and “thanks but no thanks” and broke up for the 2025 season.
Fields’ track record is not pleasant. He “went” 4-2 as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starter last season, although all he had to do was take care of the ball and make a play here or there while riding the success of the defense and special teams.
Russell Wilson took over in Week 7 and Fields barely saw the field again outside of some quarterback-run packages. You’re hoping for Fields to perform and produce at a level he did not reach over his first three-plus seasons in the NFL. Signing Fields required a “what do we have to lose?” mindset. And, well, looking at the last decade and a half – can the Jets really have that much more losing on the horizon? (Keep that sarcastic answer to yourself.)
The 2025 draft contains a weak quarterback class and the Jets pick seventh. The likelihood both Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders – the two touted signal-callers slated to go at the top of the draft – are off the board is high. Maybe the Jets can come back in the second round for Jaxson Dart (although his first-round odds are ticking up) or Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who has a similar skillset to Fields. The other quarterback in New York currently is backup Tyrod Taylor.
Fields turned 26 on March 5 and can’t yet be considered a finished product. First-year head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand can enter Year 1 with a quarterback who has started 44 games over four seasons but still has plenty of upside. Calling him a lottery ticket is a stretch. No sane person can picture Justin Fields hoisting the Lombardi Trophy any time soon. But were he to blossom in a Jets jersey – and this would be a problem the Jets would love to have – all that would need to be done is an extension. Or a trade, which figures to net benefit “Gang Green.” If Fields wilts, it’s back to a familiar place at 1 Jets Drive: the drawing board.
There are young pieces all over the offense Fields can work with. He’ll share a backfield with running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen. He’ll reunite with Buckeyes teammate and wide receiver Garrett Wilson, and perhaps that connection can prove to the most fruitful of Wilson’s career. Olu Fashanu, the 11th overall pick last year, will be a starting tackle this season, while center Joe Tippmann and guard Alijah Vera-Tucker are also solid young linemen.
By far, Fields’ best attribute has been his legs. In 2022, when he started 15 games for the Bears (a career high) he rushed for 1,143 yards and averaged 7.1 yards per carry. Fields also led the league in fumbles (16) and ball-security woes have hampered him throughout his career.
The last time the Jets attempted to draft their quarterback of the future they went with Zach Wilson over Fields at No. 2 overall in 2021. Fields went 11th to the Chicago Bears, where he started for three seasons and never delivered on the promise he showed during college at Ohio State. But it’s funny how that decision by ex-general manager Joe Douglas has come full circle. It feels like the cosmos straightened things out for an organization that hasn’t been able to get out of its own way.
The Jets nonetheless have bigger problems than quarterback (cough, ownership, cough). In fact, quarterback still may be a massive issue, even after the Fields signing. This doesn’t automatically immunize the Jets from being the butt of the joke from another season. But it wasn’t a desperate move. And that’s a good start on what will be a long road to relevance.