Well, he is not Aaron Rodgers. That alone should make the Jets feel good about signing quarterback Justin Fields to a two-year, $40 million deal. Plus, he is 26 years old, so he should be in his prime. But ….
That’s all I have to do to assess this deal. The Jets have a quarterback to work with. They will allow Fields the opportunity to win the starting quarterback job in training camp. He has to be the favorite over Tyrod Taylor, mainly because he has an upside and has started 44 games.
If Fields doesn’t win the job, this was a waste of a signing. It isn’t easy to believe that scenario will take place. His signing barely registered any emotion from Jets fans when it was reported on Monday afternoon.
Fields has suddenly become a journeyman quarterback after flopping with the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers. He would have had plenty of teams calling for his service if he were excellent. Fortunately, a quarterback-starved team called him, and he pounced on the Jets’ offer. The Jets are taking a leap of faith to get something out of Fields for the next two seasons as they learn to win games.
Maybe the new Jets quarterback figures it out finally like Baker Mayfield did with the Buccaneers. Perhaps he will have a career year like Ryan Fitzpatrick had with the Jets in 2015, when he threw for 31 touchdowns for 3,905 yards.
One can make a case Fields is taking a leap of faith with the Jets.
Interestingly, he picked them from all the teams to jumpstart his career. This is a franchise that screwed up the careers of Mark Sanchez, Sam Darnold, and Zach Wilson.
Those three were supposed to be the Jets quarterback saviors, but they fizzled out and moved on elsewhere. Sanchez bounced around with the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins until being done after the 2018 season. He only played eight seasons in the NFL. After bouncing around with the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers after his release from the Jets, Darnold succeeded with the Minnesota Vikings last season by playing all 17 games and throwing a career-high 35 touchdowns for 4,319 yards. Yet, the Vikings let him leave for the Seattle Seahawks, who signed him to a three-year, $100 million deal. Wilson is still trying to make it in the NFL. After spending one forgettable year as a clipboard holder with the Denver Broncos, he signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Miami Dolphins.
The Jets can make a case to Fields that those three quarterbacks haven’t found happiness after leaving them. Fields was only drawn to the Jets because of their $20 million a year salary. He would be hard-pressed to find something better. Never underestimate the appeal of money. Still, Fields has to wonder if the Jets are the place to be where quarterbacks get spit out in a New York minute.
Money can’t be worth happiness, right? But if nothing else, Fields will give a reason to watch the Jets.
Before his signing, there was no reason to watch them this season. Hiring Aaron Glenn as head coach caused only brief excitement until reality set in with a team that did not have a quarterback. Fields will initially raise curiosity, but his presence will wear off if he struggles in training camp or during the regular season.
Graphic courtesy YouTube
No matter what happens, Fields is likely to be a bridge quarterback at best. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Jets draft Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart as the No. 7 overall pick. This would allow him to watch Fields and learn on the job for two years.
Sooner or later, the Jets have to develop and hit on a young quarterback. It’s been too long. Maybe Fields could be that guy, but his track record raises more questions than confidence.
The fact that he is not Rodgers doesn’t say much in reality. The Jets can only hope and wish Fields can match Rodgers’ production as Jets quarterback. In his career, Fields never had 28 touchdowns and 3,897 yards, which is what Rodgers had last season with Gang Green.
Fields may be good enough for coach Aaron Glenn and Jets general manager Darren Mougey regarding self-preservation. But they should know better than to think the new guy is the panacea to the Jets’ quarterback woes.
