When the New York Jets signed Justin Fields to a two-year $40 million contract this offseason, there was plenty of skepticism around this deal. After Fields had a brutal 1-4 (four passing yards) outing in the Jets' recent preseason game against the New York Giants. During this game, Fields' limitations as a passer were on full display as he struggled to deliver routine passes with accuracy. The Jets ran the ball 10 straight times due to Fields' poor passing ability.
Justin Fields vs #NYGiants : Every throw and Run from the #jets QB pic.twitter.com/f4ZfWwDl4f
— awthentik (@awthentik) August 16, 2025
Additionally, Fields has reportedly struggled as a passer in training camp. It's fair to believe that these problems won't go away. Entering his fifth season in the NFL, performing this poorly in preseason and training camp is cause for concern. It appears that the Jets are regretting signing Fields before the season even starts.
Justin Fields' struggles shouldn't be surprising
Frankly, these concerns about Fields as a passer shouldn't be surprising to the Jets. Undoubtedly, Fields is a gifted athlete, but he has always struggled as a passer and game manager. Notably, Fields has never thrown for more than 17 touchdowns or 2,562 yards in a single season. Furthermore, in Fields' three full seasons as a starter, his completion percentage has never exceeded 61.4. Whatever way you slice it, Fields is a below-average NFL passer.
Outside of Garrett Wilson, the Jets don't have many weapons for Fields to depend on, which makes this problem even trickier. The Jets will certainly have a run-heavy offense. With Fields' gifts as a runner, Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, and a high-quality offensive line, this will give them a clear identity. However, running the ball too much will also make the Jets predictable, and that's directly connected to Fields' limitations as a passer.
The Jets could have a top-five rushing offense but a bottom-five passing offense. Undeniably, this would limit the Jets' offensive ceiling. If the Jets get off to a slow start and their offense is subpar, it's not out of the question that Tyrod Taylor takes over as QB1. While that might seem far-fetched, the Chicago Bears didn't believe in Fields as a starting quarterback, and the Pittsburgh Steelers opted to start Russell Wilson over him once he returned from injury.
For a franchise that is tied for the longest playoff drought in American sports, desperation is at an all-time high, and the Jets might be willing to try anything. With the early returns on the Fields experiment not looking great, the Jets might already be thinking ahead to the 2026 draft to solve their seemingly never-ending quarterback problem.