For two hours Thursday morning, the collective hearts of New York Jets fans shattered. Justin Fields was carted off with an apparent lower leg injury.
Fans around the tri-state area held their breath once the update was given. Just two years ago, they lost their previous starting quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, to an Achilles injury four plays into his debut.
Was the same thing happening again with Fields?
Turns out, the answer to that question is no. New York’s signal-caller merely suffered a dislocated toe. The fact that surgery was not required, and the injury did not happen to the big toe, meant that the Jets only needed to list Fields as “day to day.”
As fans rejoice, perhaps New York’s injury scare is a sign that things may actually be changing for the organization.
Times Are Changing for Jets
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn has continuously said that he wants to change many things since taking over in January. As a former player and scout for the organization, Glenn has a unique understanding of how much fans have struggled.
Throughout the first seven months of his journey, Glenn has taken the necessary steps to change how New York is perceived fundamentally.
Potentially losing his starting quarterback would have been a major blow for him.
Whether it’s fans talking about how long it has been since they had a winning season, or if Joe Namath really made a “Deal with the Devil” to win Super Bowl III, Jets fans have felt that they have been cursed for years.
Another injury to a starting quarterback would have just been the latest evidence of that.
But, that isn’t what happened. New York is not going to lose Fields for a long time with this injury. He’ll also be expected to have plenty of practice time to acclimate himself well to this new offense.
This time, the football gods didn’t punish the Jets. Instead, they gave the fanbase nothing more than a Tuesday morning scare.
Fields’ injury does have a positive outlook to it as well.
Unlike many seasons in the past, New York is also prepared to handle the possibility of losing its quarterback anytime this year. They have a veteran signal-caller in Tyrod Taylor, who has started 58 games through his 14-year career (posting a 28-28-1 record).
“Tyrod’s been in this league 14 years. With the leadership he brings, we’re all good,” Glenn said. “I think the most important part is that if anything does happen to Justin, I don’t think there’s any drop-off as far as what we want to do regarding play call. They’re very similar when you talk about skillset, that was very enticing to us.”
New York is Fields’ team going into the 2025 season. Having a strong backup quarterback, though, means the organization won’t be sunk if their starter is injured. Several teams around the league adhere to this fundamental principle of roster building.
The Jets are now one of those teams that does as well.
For years, Jets fans have had to listen to crazy stories of how their quarterbacks were sidelined. From a bizarre case of mono to a torn Achilles, New York has been hit hard by the injury bug.
Not this time, though. This time, the Jets skimmed past any major health concerns.
Perhaps this is the first sign of times truly changing for the organization.