FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — From the moment they signed Justin Fields, the New York Jets have done everything except rent billboard space in Times Square to affirm their commitment to him as QB1.
First, there was the contract — two years, $40 million, including $30 million guaranteed. Then came support from team officials, followed by repeated, unspoken nods in the draft — seven picks, no quarterback selections.
On his third team in three years, Fields is getting plenty of love from the Jets, who hope he can be more than a post-Aaron Rodgers transition quarterback. They want him to be their long-term answer.
To that end, they devoted a chunk of their draft to his cause, taking three offensive players among their first four picks — right tackle Armand Membou (first round), tight end Mason Taylor (second) and wide receiver Arian Smith (fourth).
“Listen, we want to surround Justin with good skill players, along with a good offensive line,” first-year coach Aaron Glenn said. “So any time you can do that within any offense, with any quarterback, man, that’s an A-plus. So that’s the plan, it’s always been the plan, and that’s something that we’ve talked about before. Let him be a quarterback and surround him with good players.”
There was a lot of speculation that the Jets would draft a quarterback, not in the first round, but a Day 2 or Day 3 pick — low-cost insurance in case Fields doesn’t pan out. The logical spot would’ve been Round 4, when quarterbacks such as Shedeur Sanders, Kyle McCord and Will Howard still were on the board. One former Jets scout said the free-falling Sanders, projected by many as a first-rounder, would’ve been a good fourth-round value for any quarterback-needy team.
“At that point, what do you have to lose?” the scout said, claiming the potential reward outweighed the risk.
Sanders and McCord went in the fifth round to the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively, with Howard going in the sixth to the Pittsburgh Steelers. All told, 13 quarterbacks were selected — with the Browns picking two.
The Jets wound up making four picks on Day 3 — all defenders. First-year general manager Darren Mougey said they “talked about a lot of the quarterbacks,” but it wasn’t addressed until after the draft, when they agreed to terms with Missouri’s Brady Cook as an undrafted free agent.
By not drafting one, the Jets sent a message, over and over, that they’re all-in on Fields. It’s almost like they didn’t want a draft pick on the team to cloud what they believe is a clear picture:
Fields is the starter. Veteran Tyrod Taylor is the backup. Period.