We are precisely two weeks away from the opening of the NFL’s 2025 legal tampering period (March 10), which means the NFL’s free agency rumor mill is beginning to heat up.
Regarding the New York Jets, the primary topic of interest will be the star-crossed organization’s continued search for a franchise quarterback. The 2025 free agent market is devoid of options who meet such a lofty title, but it features many fort-holding candidates who could potentially start for New York in 2025 while the team either develops a rookie or punts its search for a franchise quarterback to 2026.
Of those “fort-holder” types, the most popular free agent is arguably Justin Fields, the former 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. According to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic, the Fields-to-New York buzz is already growing – and some believe there is significant interest from both sides.
“There has been buzz about the idea of [the Jets] pursuing Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields in free agency,” wrote Rosenblatt on Monday. He adds, “there’s believed to be some level of mutual interest, though the Jets have done a good job of keeping their intentions close to the vest.”
After being acquired from the Chicago Bears for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick, Fields started the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first six games of the 2024 season while Russell Wilson nursed an injury. He led them to a 4-2 record and posted career highs in multiple categories, including passer rating (93.3) and completion percentage (65.8%).
However, Fields’ short stint was not without flaws. While Fields receives praise for only turning the ball over twice, he was actually far more careless with the ball than that number suggests. Fields had six turnover-worthy throws (per PFF) and six fumbles, but luckily, only two of those 12 plays converted to turnovers. He fumbled on 2.5% of his plays, ranking fourth-worst among 42 qualified quarterbacks.
Fields improved at avoiding sacks, posting a career-low sack rate of 9.0%, but that still ranked seventh-worst out of 42 qualifiers.
While Fields improved his completion percentage and overall consistency as a passer, it came at the cost of his explosiveness. Fields set career lows in yards per completion (10.4) and yards per rush attempt (4.7).
Jets X-Factor covered Fields’ fit with the Jets in greater detail last week. It would make sense for New York to sign Fields at a modest cost to compete with Tyrod Taylor, but he has not proven enough to be handed a starting job, which is what he seeks, according to some reports.
If Fields’ cost soars unreasonably high or he is unwilling to engage in a competition, the Jets should probably look elsewhere. But if he is willing to compete and comes at a fair price, he is an intriguing option for the Jets’ situation. He has a high enough floor to be viewed as a high-end backup or low-end starter, while still being young enough to potentially improve.
