Fields As Good As Any Of Jets’ Bad QB Options
While not quite a Dream of Fields, I did suggest in prior posts that signing former Steelers quarterback Jusitn Fields as a bridge to the 2026 NFL Draft class wouldn’t be the worst move the new Jets brass could make at the start of the free agency negotiating period.
The reported $40 million ($30 million guaranteed) deal over the next two years is a bit of a sticker shock, but given the inflation that has resulted in ridiculous sums that have been doled out to even more terrible players (3 years, $45 million for Javon Kinlaw?!? Good luck with that, Washington.), it is livable.
Kudos to Darren Mougey in his first go as a General Manager for not getting caught up in the hype and rushing to fill all the Jets’ holes at once. Other than re-signing linebacker Jamien Sherwood, Mougey has stood pat as the rest of the league is burning through their ample cash, allowing cornerback D.J. Reed and right tackle Morgan Moses to walk out the door for better offers. (Note: As I’m editing this, the Jets reportedly agreed to terms with former Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens, who struggled in coverage last season, for 3 years and $36 million, so maybe hold that thought.)
Let’s be clear about Fields, first. The Jets aren’t taking off with him under center. He’s a magnet for negative plays. The Steelers may have gone 4-2 when he started the first six games last season, but it wasn’t because of Fields. He threw for over 160 yards in just two of those contests, one of which they lost, and was sacked 16 times with six fumbles. As JetsXFactor.com pointed out, the fact that he only lost two of those cough-ups and got away with six other turnover worthy throws, per ProFootballFocus.com, suggests he was the beneficiary of extraordinary luck last season that is unlikely to be repeated once he dons a Jets uniform.
Fields, whom the Bears chose with the No. 11 overall pick in the same 2021 Draft where the Jets took Zach Wilson at No. 2, is ranked 40th among the 54 QBs with at least 500 snaps over the last four seasons in rbsdm.com’s expected points per play/completion percentage over expected composite metric (Wilson is dead last). Fields’ only major edge over Wilson is his mobility.
But since the Jets weren’t going to get a starter at the No. 7 slot in the coming Draft and the rest of the free agent pool outside of former Jets Sam Darnold and Aaron Rodgers is quite awful, that edge is why I think Fields was Gang Green’s best of bad options. The Jets have never really had a quarterback (Michael Vick and Tim Tebow don’t count) who could add the dimension of making plays in a standard run game. It will be up to new Offensive Coordinator Tanner Engstrand to figure out how best to maximize the effectiveness of this new weapon. If he can, welcome to the decade, Jets.
Though logical from an organizational standpoint, the Jets’ parting of ways with still-elite wide receiver Davante Adams will be felt on the field. The Jets currently only have two players, Fields’ former Ohio State teammate Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall, who qualify as game breakers. Maybe Mougey can draft a player who can stretch the defense, even if it’s in only a part-time role as a rookie.
From the Jets’ perspective, Fields is the ultimate low-risk, high-reward (with low probability) bet. At 26, Fields could conceivably take the Geno Smith path, where the (another) former Jet needed to be taken down a few pegs before he could mature into a legitimate NFL starter in Seattle and get paid by Las Vegas. Not that it matters, but it’s a story ownership can sell to a disgusted fan base.
You only get so many lives as a QB1 in this league and Fields has already exhausted two of them. I think the Jets will set up a “competition” in training camp with returning 35-year old backup Tyrod Taylor, but they’re paying Fields as a starter. He’ll have to lose the job on his own, which he has shown he’s quite capable of doing.
And if that happens, the Jets, who just went 5-12 with future Hall-of-Famer Rodgers calling signals, would be no worse than if they had brought in any other of the available QBs.