The New York Jets have been unable to catch a break when it comes to addressing their quarterback situation. Just within the last decade or so, the Jets drafted three quarterback busts, two of which, Sam Darnold and Geno Smith, have revitalized their careers as soon as they left the organization. When they've tried to go the veteran route, their production has left fans disappointed, or, in the case of Aaron Rodgers, their tenure with the team was completely derailed by a torn Achilles and non-stop headlines and drama.
After a 5-12 season in 2025, the Jets decided it was best to part ways with the future Hall of Famer. Their solution to their quarterback problem was to find a middle ground between a young prospect and an aging 40-something. They decided to sign former Pittsburgh Steeler Justin Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract. Essentially, the Jets and the Steelers swapped their starting quarterbacks.
Apparently, Pittsburgh wanted to retain Fields, and he was highly regarded by the organization, especially by offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. But it seems that their interest in him wasn't convincing enough. Perhaps he felt burned by the Steelers after being abruptly pulled as the starter and replaced by Russell Wilson. Regardless, Fields believed in new coach Aaron Glenn's vision enough to take a chance and become the starter for New York
As Jets fans rejoice over their new acquisition, they fail to see that this will not go as well as they wish. If we follow Fields’ career to this point, this seems like it may not pan out. Fields may have his name added to the list of failed quarterbacks in Jets history.
Justin Fields' troubling play style
Fields has simply not been productive enough at the NFL level. Many Fields apologists will hearken back to his Ohio State playing days and argue that he was once a highly accurate, dual-threat quarterback who won when the lights shone the brightest. Unfortunately for them, those days are likely in the past.
The reality is that across his four years of play, he has twice as many losses as wins. He's never had a 3,000-yard season, he's only completed barely over 60% of his passes and he has averaged just over 11 fumbles a season. If we were to compare him with a so-called “draft bust” in the 2021 class, Fields has a higher frequency of losing than Zach Wilson and more turnovers overall. And yet, for whatever reason, unlike Wilson, Justin Fields is still getting chance after chance.
Two bad habits have hurt Fields the most. The first is his tendency to drag out plays and hold onto the ball. He loves being the hero of the game and carrying his team on his back, which, in a sense, is rather noble. As the play breaks down, Fields has a tendency to scramble, which has resulted in some positive plays thanks to his elite athleticism. The clearest case of this working is when his scrambling amounted to 1,143 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns in 2022. However, this skill is a double-edged sword, as it also resulted in 16 fumbles, which led the league, and a 3-12 record in games he started.
While putting on the Superman cape is flashy and can result in highlight moments, the majority of the time it leads to a loss of yards, turnovers and unnecessary risks to his health. While I’m not against Fields showing off his dynamism from time to time, his first instinct shouldn’t always be to play hero ball when a play breaks down. Sometimes, it's best to find your check down or even throw the ball away and live to see another down.
Arguably Fields' biggest flaws have followed him from his days back at Ohio State, and those are his tendency to lock onto his first reads and his slow processing speed. Among the first-round QBs in the 2021 draft class, Fields threw the most to his first option in college. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, considering how open his first read would usually get at Ohio State, it does build a bad tendency. These predetermined throws he often saw in college are much less likely to occur in the NFL, where you need to adjust to what the defense gives you. Since he never had to learn how to read defensive coverages properly, Fields has had a really hard time adjusting to the professional level.
Based on his play shown so far, he consistently locks onto his first read. And if his primary options aren’t available, he will hold onto the ball and either miss wide-open receivers further along in his progression or scramble, losing yardage or the ball. It’s for these reasons that the Chicago Bears opted to trade away Fields to make way for Caleb Williams. It also explains why the Steelers felt comfortable enough to make him sit behind Russell Wilson and chose not to break the bank to sign the former Buckeye.
The Jets' silver lining
Now, it isn't all doom and gloom for the Jets' newest starting quarterback. For both of Fields' prior teams, there was a lack of emphasis on strengthening their offense. The Bears refused to invest any high-value draft capital into developing their offensive line until 2023, when they selected tackle Darnell Wright. The Steelers duplicated this questionable strategy; however, they didn't even get the benefit of acquiring a big-name wide receiver like the Bears did when they acquired D.J. Moore.
The Steelers' offense was plagued by injuries last season. They lost their 2024 first-round pick in tackle Troy Fautanu, their 2024 third-round pick in wide receiver Roman Wilson, starting guard James Daniels and guard Nate Herbig. This left Pittsburgh with an offensive line in complete shambles, and only one true receiving threat in George Pickens. Throughout Fields' career, his past offenses have failed to set him up for success and may have affected his overall production.
It may seem a bit strange to say, especially considering their history, but Fields may have inherited his best offense yet in New York. Within the past five Jets draft classes, they've put a heavy emphasis on improving their offensive line. The fruits of their labor include guard Alijah-Vera Tucker, center Joe Tippmann, tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu and recently drafted Missouri tackle Armand Membou. This offensive line unit is incredibly young and is still projected to rank in the top 10 in the NFL.
Fields will also finally have some adequate weapons to distribute the ball to. He is reuniting with one of his favorite targets from college in wide receiver Garrett Wilson. Wilson the 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year and hasn't had a season with under 1,000 receiving yards, despite the Jets' awful quarterback play. Fields won't have to be the only driving force of his team's rushing attack, as the Jets possess an underrated duo of running backs in Breece Hall and Braelon Allen. Unproven rookie tight end Mason Taylor will have a chance to become Fields' second option in this passing offense, and so far, he's more than lived up to the Jets' expectations.
There is a small chance that Fields manages to turn his career around and become a legitimate long-term starter. He'd be following in the footsteps of recent breakout quarterbacks Sam Darnold, Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield. However, it's important to note that not every quarterback makes a comeback on a new team. For every Sam Darnold, there's a Trey Lance to match. Fields has already been on this journey before. He knows better than anyone that turning your career around is easier said than done.
Justin Fields' future outlook
All things considered, it doesn’t seem that the Jets are too committed to Fields, considering the length of his contract is just two years. Additionally, Fields is rather inexpensive compared to other starting quarterbacks, ranking 20th in terms of average salary per year. This places him just above the likes of Daniel Jones and, ironically, Rodgers. Honestly, that type of deal in context makes a lot of sense. He's ranked among many of the other bridge quarterbacks that NFL teams are afraid to commit to.
The most likely scenario for Fields is that he shows more of the same and continues to disappoint his biggest advocates. The Jets seem to be biding their time, continuing to build their offense and setting up their roster for a future quarterback prospect in either the 2026 or 2027 NFL Draft.