Can Justin Fields revive his career in New York?
Justin Fields was one of the Free Agency movers in March, signing a two-year deal with the New York Jets worth $40 million.
Drafted 11th overall in 2021 by the Chicago Bears, this is now Fields’ third team in as many seasons, after a one-year spell with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With the Jets letting go of four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers after a disastrous spell with the franchise, the path is there for Fields to revive his career in the Big Apple.
However, with the history of the Jets franchise, can he live up to the potential he showed at Ohio State that caused the Bears to trade up to get him? Or will he be another in a long list of failed Jets quarterbacks.
A history of failure
It has been a long period without success for the Jets. They may have won Super Bowl III in the 1968 season, but this is as good as it has been for them. There will be a lot of Jets fans that were not alive for this, with some fans not even being alive for their last playoff appearance.
The Jets made back-to-back Conference Championship games in the 2009 and 2010 seasons. However, both of these ended in defeats to the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers respectively and they have not been in the playoffs since. This is the longest active postseason drought across all four major US sports.
It is hard to remember many good quarterbacks that the Jets have had. Even “Broadway” Joe Namath, who infamously guided them to the aforementioned underdog Super Bowl III victory, ended his career with 173 touchdowns, 220 interceptions and a 62-63-4 record.
Ryan Fitzpatrick had a good campaign for the Jets in 2015, throwing for 31 touchdowns, 3905 yards and 15 interceptions. Mark Sanchez guided them to those back-to-back AFC Championship appearances but threw for 29 touchdowns and 29 interceptions across those two seasons, with 68 touchdowns and 69 interceptions during his entire Jets career.
Chad Pennington has a claim to be the last great quarterback they have had, with 82 touchdowns and 55 interceptions from 2000 to 2007. This includes his first year as a starter in 2002 where he threw for 22 touchdowns and just six interceptions in 12 games.
Since their last AFC Championship appearance, they have started Kellen Clemens, Greg McElroy, Geno Smith, an ageing Michael Vick, Fitzpatrick, Bryce Petty, Josh McCown, Sam Darnold, Luke Falk, Trevor Siemian, Joe Flacco, Zach Wilson, Mike White, Tim Boyle, and Rodgers at quarterback.
Fields will hope he is not the next in a long list of failures.
The pieces are there
Let’s not pretend there are some great pieces for Fields to work with. In Garrett Wilson, they have one of the best wide receivers in the game, someone who also played with Fields at Ohio State.
In similar fashion to Terry McLaurin until the arrival of Jayden Daniels, despite this, he has yet to work with a successful quarterback. Yet, he has managed to conjure up a 1,000-yard season in each of his first three years as a pro. With 14 touchdowns and some highlight plays, including a mesmerising one-handed catch against the Houston Texans in 2024, he is someone that can only help elevate Fields’ game.
Breece Hall may have regressed in 2024, but he has shown plenty in his three-year career to give Jets fans hope that he can excel in 2025 and be a great safety blanket for Fields. After all, he has an average of 992 yards and six touchdowns per season.
The offensive line will be the main area of concern, with Rodgers the ninth most sacked quarterback in 2024 and only Chukwuma Okorafor being added this offseason. Despite this, their defense will give the fans great encouragement, ranking fourth against the pass last year.
Fields has shown his potential in the NFL, in particular in 2022 against the Miami Dolphins where he recorded three passing touchdowns, zero interception, 178 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
However, this has been few and far between. He must take his chance in New York, as it is very hard to get a third or fourth starting gig in the NFL as a quarterback.
Andy Davies