During the New York Jets’ 0-6 start to the 2025 season, inconsistent quarterback play has been a major reason for their poor run. Justin Fields’ first month and a half as Gang Green’s starting quarterback has been lackluster to say the least.

Fields has thrown for under 50 yards in two of his five starts. While the former first-round pick has looked competent at times this season, his 0-5 record as a starter highlights what 31 other teams around the NFL already know.

Justin Fields isn’t going to lead a team to a Super Bowl. He may not even be good enough to start for a winning team.

But while Jets fans look to assign blame as to why the team brought the former Chicago Bear and Pittsburgh Steeler over, there’s another way of looking at Fields’ failings, and it could set Gang Green up for long-term success.

Jets’ QB Outlook

Is it better to be in quarterback purgatory — being led by a signal-caller who is good but has no chance of winning a Super Bowl — or just plain bad?

Jets fans have engaged in that debate many times over the last 14 years. The organization has been bad as a collective unit, looking for different options to solve their quarterback woes, only to fail with each player they bring in.

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Fields is a veteran option that New York took a flier on — similar to Sam Darnold’s time in Minnesota, Geno Smith in Seattle, and Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay.

Those three quarterbacks parlayed excellent years into long-term deals. If the Jets could get good play out of Fields, the Ohio State product could be in a similar boat.

That hasn’t happened, but it might not be the worst thing in the world.

If Fields had played well enough to earn further faith, it could have led the Jets to give him more chances to prove himself. As good as Geno Smith was in Seattle, he never won a playoff game. The same could be said for Darnold as well.

Journeyman/bridge quarterbacks are good enough to keep teams relevant. If organizations want those signal-callers to lead them to a championship, though, they’ll be thoroughly disappointed.

Rookie QB Gamble

It doesn’t matter how many times the Jets swing and miss at the quarterback position; they will always be better off taking gambles in the draft than signing veterans in free agency.

There is always a chance that a drafted rookie could end up being “the guy” for an organization.

Had Fields played well to start the 2025 season, that rookie quarterback might have been taken out of consideration. New York wouldn’t be bad enough to earn a top-five selection or good enough to get into the playoffs, yet Fields may have played his way into holding down the starting job in 2026.

Therefore, it’s better for the organization to struggle under Fields if it means the team is closer to acquiring a top rookie quarterback. In the present, it’s a bad look—no fanbase wants to see their team go 0-6 to begin a season.

But for the long-term health of the franchise, it’s better to know that Fields isn’t your guy than talk yourself into the possibility that he could be.