Justin Fields made the consequential decision to leave the Pittsburgh Steelers for the New York Jets this offseason. He was effectively brought in to replace Aaron Rodgers, who funnily enough is the widespread favorite to start Week 1 under center in Pittsburgh — assuming he renders a free agency decision by then.
While Fields' departure hardly came as a surprise, there was a time not so long ago when he felt like a potential stabilizing force in the Steelers QB room. He was clearly Arthur Smith's preferred QB1 and Pittsburgh was not exactly swimming in better options once free agency hit. Instead of re-signing, however, Fields felt he was better off in East Rutherford. And you know it's bad when a quarterback prefers East Rutherford.
As for why Fields left, it comes down to a single person: new Jets head coach Aaron Glenn.
"I’m definitely super excited to just be here,” Fields said on the Jets' official YouTube account. “Meeting all of the new coaches and everybody around the building. Really just excited for a fresh start. We’re ready to get to work. So, super excited. I chose the Jets because No. 1, (Aaron Glenn). The kind of coach he is, how passionate he is about the game, and really just what he brings to the table. Changing the culture around here and wanting to win games and wanting to be great. He knows what it takes to build a team up from the ground up and really get them going. I think that’s why AG is the right guy for the job."
Justin Fields reveals the reason he left Steelers for Jets: Aaron Glenn
This is troubling news for Steelers fans. Aaron Glenn is a first-time head coach and a defensive coordinator. While his carisma was readily apparent in Detroit, Pittsburgh has one of the most accomplished head coaches in NFL history. Mike Tomlin has two decades of winning football under his belt. It sure feels like the tide is turning, however, when an unproven defensive coach is luring quarterbacks away from PGH.
Fields, in all fairness, got the short end of the stick in his lone go-around with the Steelers. He put six solid starts on tape, only for Tomlin to turn the offense over to Russell Wilson in Week 7 for reasons that amounted to "he has more experience." Russ performed well initially, but Pittsburgh lost five straight games to end the season, including a first-round blowout in the NFL Playoffs against Baltimore.
Most (smart) coaches would have stuck with Fields, who was a full decade younger than Wilson and a far more logical long-term solution to a years-long quarterback problem. The Steelers were 4-2 when Fields was demoted. Wilson has earned his reputation over the years, but after a troubling flameout in Denver, it's not like positioning him ahead of Fields on the depth chart was a no-brainer. Not after Fields looked so dependable out of the gate.
Time will tell if Fields' instincts about Glenn are correct. He feels like a good hire, but so did Robert Saleh. There are additional barriers to success in the Jets organization, where ownership is a disruptive force and the football gods tend to conspire against progress. It has been far too long since New York had a good, stable quarterback option and it's unclear if Fields is really built to break the mold.
That said, he is definitely better than Mason Rudolph, who is currently in line to start Week 1 in Pittsburgh — that is, until Aaron Rodgers decides to sign the shriveled, water-damaged contract that has been sitting on the doorstep of his darkness retreat for months. Again, the Jets hand-picked Fields over Rodgers, so the vibes in Pittsburgh are not great.