Few NFL franchises have a worse track record at the quarterback position than the New York Jets. There may be just one, in fact, and that would be the Chicago Bears. They thought they had their first franchise quarterback in decades when they drafted Justin Fields with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but they traded him just three years later.
But just because Fields wasn’t the savior for one team, that doesn’t mean he can’t still fulfill that role for another. After signing a two-year deal with the Jets in March, Fields has the pole position to be QB1 when the season starts and the team is already getting behind him.
Head coach Aaron Glenn, who is already familiar with Fields due to being in the same division together for three seasons, had this to say about his young quarterback.
“I think the sky’s the limit…I’m not gonna go out there and tell you he’s the next Joe Namath or anything, but he’s gonna be a good player for us.”
—Aaron Glenn on Justin Fields #Jets #JetUp pic.twitter.com/mbycwx3Y8o
— Kate Rooney (@TheKateRooney) June 3, 2025
This is a smart statement from Glenn. He knows that Fields hasn’t been consistently good enough in the NFL so far to promise the fans that he’s going to be their long-sought franchise quarterback. But projecting him to be a good player? That’s more than reasonable and if he does end up overachieving, all the better.
It’s not just the coaches that are impressed by Fields, either. New receiver Josh Reynolds spoke briefly about Fields and praised his quarterback’s delivery of the football as well as his football IQ.
“He can throw it, man. He’s got a beautiful ball. He’s a smart quarterback, he’s been picking up this offense pretty fast.”
Josh Reynolds on Justin Fields: pic.twitter.com/yGUX9Vw5eI
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) June 3, 2025
Reynolds is right on the money. Fields has issues to work on, but he has arguably the prettiest deep ball in the NFL. He can drop a 60-yard pass on a dime and that has to have Reynolds and the rest of the receiver room excited.
Jets fans have seen this before, of course. They’ll need to see Fields prove it in the regular season before they get too excited. But if he can finally hit his ceiling in New York, along with a supremely talented supporting cast, the Jets could very well be all the way back.
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