After a spring OTA practice in which the Jets' offense had a productive day, QB Justin Fields talked about becoming a more expressive player. A picture of calm throughout his career, Fields believes he can give teammates an added jolt with his enthusiasm.
"I try not to get too high, too low. And kind of what I want to work on is getting hype," he said. "I think today out at practice I was pretty energetic out there and I think the guys feed off of me. So just seeing that in me out there today. I'm going to try to be more vocal with the guys but usually I'm pretty even- keeled. I don't really get too high or too low, but I think this year I'm going to try to turn it up a notch and really just try to bring that energy each and every day on the practice field and of course in the games, too."
Fields is an electric player and there is plenty of reason to believe he will continue his ascent with the Jets. Since being selected No. 11 overall by the Bears in the 2021 NFL Draft, Fields has improved each of his four seasons in passer rating and completion percentage while lowering his interception percentage. When he's asked about expectations, Fields always says he sets the bar higher for himself than anyone externally.
"I think I can be a player who has no limits, a player who can help everyone around him better, a player who can lead a team, a player who can be that guy," he said during an appearance on "The Official Jets Podcast." "I'm just striving to be that player each and every day and really for everybody to know that I am that player. I know within myself I am that player, or I can get to that point, but I think it's more for me showing everyone else and proving not only to myself but proving to the world. … You look at guys like Pat [Mahomes], you look at guys like Josh Allen, guys like Lamar [Jackson] where everyone knows they are elite quarterbacks. At the end of the day, that's kind of my goal and that's kind of where I want to get by the time I get done playing this sport."
Fields has not been afforded the continuity that Mahomes, Allen and Jackson have been blessed with in Kansas City, Buffalo and Baltimore, respectively. Mahomes, already an elite player, was paired with HC Andy Reid from the start;, Jackson, a two-time NFL MVP, has thrived under HC John Harbaugh and has taken things to the next level under OC Todd Monken;, and Allen, the reigning NFL MVP, has always had Sean McDermott as his HC and is entering a second season under OC Joe Brady. When Fields signed with the Jets in March, he joined his fourth pro team with a fourth HC in Aaron Glenn and a fourth OC in Tanner Engstrand.
"Of course, we're bringing in some of the same concepts from Detroit but like you said we have different players on this team, so it's not going to be the exact same as what they did in Detroit," Fields said. "In Detroit, they were 3-4 years in that offense. It's going to take some time, but we don't want it to take too much time. Of course we set a standard for ourselves to be great, to be competitive, be disciplined but in terms of how our offense is going to look -- I think Tanner is going to tailor it to the guys we have on the field and trying to get them the ball and kind of get a feel for what they do best in terms of a guy might run a certain route better than he does another route. Just finding what guys do best and utilizing them in a specific way to get them the ball and help our team be most successful."