Reporting live from New York Jets HQ in Florham Park, NJ—For the last two seasons, New York Jets fans had to watch as their starting quarterback always seemed to be in the news for unnecessary reasons.
Whether it was offseason trips to Egypt, weekly appearances where he would pass tales of wild conspiracy theories, or random comments on workplace culture, it all got exhausting after a while.
Things are different now, though. The Jets have a new quarterback – one who speaks softly but carries an aura about him that is unmistakable.
When Justin Fields first signed his two-year, $40 million deal with New York, he agreed knowing he would be the team’s starting quarterback in 2025. Since that moment, he has been everything Jets fans have been looking for.
And everything his predecessor was not.
Fields Has Big Goals For Jets Resurgence
No one will think to compare Fields’ skillset to that of Aaron Rodgers. The future Hall-of-Famer has had a spectacular career, even with his failings in New York included.
That doesn’t mean Fields can’t be a good quarterback in his own right.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday following OTA practice, Fields made it clear that his expectations have not diminished while on his third team in as many years.
“I think I can be great, and that’s been the goal for me my whole life, my whole career,” Fields said. “I think the sky’s the limit for this team, for this offense, but we do have a long way to go.”
Fields is humble and reserved, which is a different presence than that of his predecessor. This shows a quarterback who understands that 2025 could be his last shot at being a starter in the NFL.
It also shows a leader who is more focused in winning games (something he has struggled with) than individual awards and accolades.
Coaches and teammates all have great things to say about Fields. No one can deny the 26-year-old is a great person and someone franchises look for as an off-field leader.
That’s not why he has struggled, though. Fields 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 improving his overall completion percentage in three consecutive seasons, Fields’ 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).
He’s entering a far different offense compared to ones he was previously at in Pittsburgh and Chicago, though. The Jets have done everything they can to get Fields the kind of weapons and offense he needs to succeed.
The ball is in the Ohio State product’s hands.
And he seems completely ready for it.
“Like I said, our offense and defense are new, so guys are really tuned in, locked in, and trying to get everything down, but I think once we do, I think the sky’s the limit. I mean, we have all the guys we need, we have all the talent, so it’s really just going to come down to discipline and execution when the games come.”
