It appears as if there can be no quarterback competitors this season for the New York Jets.
Common supervisor Darren Mougey declared on Sunday that free agent addition Justin Fields goes to be the group’s starter, and that they’re totally assured of their skill to win with him.
The Jets signed Fields to a two-year, $40M contract in free company following his one 12 months with the Steelers.
It’s an intriguing transfer, and much more intriguing to simply instantly throw him into the starter position.
Though Fields has not but established himself as a constant NFL starter, he’s nonetheless solely 26, and nonetheless stuffed with untapped potential.
From a working standpoint, the one quarterback within the NFL that’s higher than him is Lamar Jackson. Whereas his passing can typically be erratic on quick and intermediate routes, he is a wonderful downfield passer with an important deep ball. There’s something to work with right here, and he may very well be a short-term (and maybe even long-term) answer for the Jets.
There are nonetheless some issues to wash up. He tends to take too many snaps, and can also be liable to fumbles. He additionally had interception points in Chicago, however cleaned up that a part of his sport with the Steelers by throwing only one interception in his six begins.
Fields began the 2024 season for the Steelers on account of Russell Wilson’s damage, serving to lead the group to a 4-2 file. He was benched when Wilson was wholesome and by no means reclaimed the beginning job. That would have performed a job in his unwillingness to re-sign with the Steelers (together with the Jets providing more cash).
Whereas his passing was, once more, slightly inconsistent, he nonetheless accounted for 10 complete touchdowns (5 passing, 5 speeding) and performed principally environment friendly soccer.
Even when he simply duplicates that, mixed along with his working, it could most likely be an enormous improve over what they’ve obtained the previous few years from Zach Wilson and Aaron Rodgers.
