Things haven’t gone well at all for New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields to begin his career.
A first-round pick from the 2021 NFL draft class of signal-callers, Fields has dealt with in-season benchings, injuries, and plenty of losses to start his career. The 2025 season will see him play on his third team in as many years.
It’s not a stretch to say the Jets granted Fields a final chance to prove he can be a quality starting quarterback in the league. His 2-year, $40 million deal with $30 million guaranteed all but guarantees starting status this coming season.
How will he play? How will he handle the pressure cooker that is the New York sports media market?
If his first meeting with reporters was any indication, he appears ready for the challenge.
Fields handles the media
Wednesday afternoon was Justin Fields’s first chance to speak about signing the contract with the Jets this offseason, which essentially made him the team’s starting quarterback for the 2025 season.
Throughout the media session, the former Ohio State product appeared humble and hungry to prove his detractors wrong.
“Definitely something that I want to prove to myself, and I think my expectations for myself are higher than anybody else, to be honest with you,” Fields said, courtesy of the Jets Communications department transcripts. “I think I’ve been improving each year I’ve been in the league, so I look to do the same this year, to be honest with you. But like I said, I think my expectations for myself are higher than you guys; it’s higher than all of the people in this building … (and) I’m excited to get to work and get things going.”
In fairness to the 26-year-old, his completion percentage has gradually increased every year he’s been in the league. He’s always been a dynamic runner and provides athleticism that few quarterbacks can match.
A deep dive at the numbers shows exactly where Fields has struggled more, though.
He has completed just 56.1% of his passes in the fourth quarter throughout his career—worst in the NFL among quarterbacks with at least 200 fourth-quarter pass attempts over that span. Despite his improved completion percentage, his teams have never averaged more than 22 points per game with him as the starting quarterback (the league average in points per game in 2024 was 22.9).
Despite his struggles, Fields’s defenders have claimed that he hasn’t been in an offense that truly maximized his skill set. That appears to change with the Jets and new head coach Aaron Glenn.
“We’re going to let him play quarterback,” Glenn said during league meetings. “That’s what he’s always wanted to do. I’m not saying he hasn’t had a chance to play that, do that in other places … I know what I want to do with that player. (I) obviously want to utilize his legs but (also) want to give him a chance to go out there and play quarterback.”
Interestingly, Fields isn’t too willing to elaborate on his failings in Chicago and Pittsburgh. He’s instead focused on doing what he can in the here and now.
“I did what I was asked to do, and I’ve never had a problem with that. I’ve always been a team player,” Fields added. “I’ve always been advocating on putting myself behind the team, so like I said I am grateful for all the experiences that I’ve had.”
Franchise QB hopes
If there was one major takeaway above all else in Wednesday’s media sessions, it was the fact that Fields sounded more like a franchise quarterback than just a mere bridge guy. The former Chicago Bears’ first-round pick has been given the chance to be the starting quarterback for a season and is carrying himself in that light.
Sounding like the savior of the team is always the first step. This is a big reason why Fields passed his first test on Wednesday. It’s an important distinction that could perhaps show the Jets are on the right track.
Fields knows he can pass all the tests he wants to the media or fanbase. This is the time of year for teams to excite their fanbase.
None of that will end up mattering, though.
New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields’s most critical test will happen on the field in September.
