The New York Jets zeroed in on Justin Fields as their top quarterback target following Aaron Rodgers’ release earlier this offseason. From the outset, the new regime made it clear that Fields was their guy, and everything the team has done since has backed that up.
The two-year, $40 million contract he was given is a strong indicator that the Jets believe Fields has a legitimate chance to be a long-term starter in the NFL. The team has publicly insisted that he will be their starting quarterback this season — there is no competition, no controversy.
The Jets don’t know if Fields will be their long-sought-after solution at the quarterback position, but they’re prepared to give him every opportunity to prove he can be the guy.
Bleacher Report’s James Palmer reported on Monday that the Jets intend to give Fields “a real shot” and are unlikely to draft a quarterback early in the 2025 NFL Draft. Even if someone like Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders falls to No. 7 overall, the Jets are expected to pass.
NY Jets not expected to draft a QB to compete with Justin Fields
The Jets were not the only team interested in signing Fields this offseason. The former first-round pick also garnered significant interest from the Pittsburgh Steelers, who wanted to bring Fields back for another year, this time as the presumptive starter.
Fields started six games for the Steelers last season, leading his team to a 4-2 record while playing some of the most efficient football of his career, before he was unceremoniously benched in favor of Russell Wilson, who had recently returned from injury.
Despite this, Steelers players and coaches pushed for Fields to return this offseason, with Palmer reporting that offensive coordinator Arthur Smith wanted another year to help develop the young quarterback as a passer.
Fields wasn’t particularly interested in returning to the organization that had benched him just a few months earlier, and when the Jets came calling with guarantees of a starting job, it was likely an easy decision.
Fields joins a new-look Jets squad that also features some familiar faces, most notably his former Ohio State teammate, Garrett Wilson. Wilson is fresh off his third consecutive 1,000-yard season to start his career and will now be reunited with a quarterback he already has chemistry with from their college days.
The Jets aren’t betting on Fields as their long-term answer, evidenced by the two-year contract he was given. The team is under no illusion that he’s guaranteed to be the team’s quarterback solution.
However, Aaron Glenn and the company are committed to giving Fields a legitimate shot to prove that he can be the answer. Whether he seizes that opportunity remains to be seen, but the Jets are ready to let him try.