It seems as if there will be no quarterback competition this season for the New York Jets.
General manager Darren Mougey declared on Sunday that free agent addition Justin Fields is going to be the team’s starter, and that they are fully confident in their ability to win with him.
The Jets signed Fields to a two-year, $40M contract in free agency following his one year with the Steelers.
It is an intriguing move, and even more intriguing to just immediately throw him into the starter role.
Even though Fields has not yet established himself as a consistent NFL starter, he is still only 26, and still full of untapped potential.
From a running standpoint, the only quarterback in the NFL that is better than him is Lamar Jackson. While his passing can sometimes be erratic on short and intermediate routes, he is an excellent downfield passer with a great deep ball. There is something to work with here, and he could be a short-term (and perhaps even long-term) solution for the Jets.
There are still some things to clean up. He has a tendency to take too many snaps, and is also prone to fumbles. He also had interception issues in Chicago, but cleaned up that part of his game with the Steelers by throwing just one interception in his six starts.
Fields started the 2024 season for the Steelers due to Russell Wilson’s injury, helping lead the team to a 4-2 record. He was benched when Wilson was healthy and never reclaimed the starting job. That could have played a role in his unwillingness to re-sign with the Steelers (along with the Jets offering more money).
While his passing was, again, a little inconsistent, he still accounted for 10 total touchdowns (five passing, five rushing) and played mostly efficient football.
Even if he just duplicates that, combined with his running, it would probably be a big upgrade over what they have received the past few years from Zach Wilson and Aaron Rodgers.
