Not everyone is sold on Justin Fields as the New York Jets’ new starting quarterback, and the national media is making that abundantly clear.
The latest wave of criticism came from FS1’s Breakfast Ball on Monday, where former Jets head coach Eric Mangini and host Craig Carton both took shots at Fields, who is expected to open the season as QB1 in Florham Park.
When asked if he'd rather have Fields or Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback, Mangini insisted he would choose the latter, while Carton took things a step further with a take that was baffling even by his standards.
Carton claimed that he doesn't believe Fields "is an NFL quarterback," before disrespectfully claiming that he thinks Fields would be a "great slot receiver." That’s right, a national sports show just suggested that a 26-year-old quarterback with 44 career NFL starts and nearly 8,000 passing yards should move to wide receiver.
Mangini, for the record, didn't speak up and disagree.
Justin Fields becomes latest target of national media as Eric Mangini piles on
Fields enters 2025 with plenty to prove and no shortage of doubters, but the narrative surrounding his NFL future is a bit more complicated than his critics seemingly care to acknowledge.
The Steelers gave Fields an opportunity to start last year, and he ended up starting six games for Pittsburgh, going 4-2 while throwing for five touchdowns and just one interception. He added five rushing scores and showcased the kind of dual-threat skill set that once made him a top-15 pick.
But the red flags were still there. Fields fumbled six times in those six games and continued to struggle with holding onto the ball too long, a long-standing issue that has haunted him since his Chicago days.
The Steelers benched him in favor of a returning Russell Wilson in Week 7, and he'd throw one pass the remainder of the year. Still, there was enough there for the Jets to take a swing.
Fields signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the Jets this offseason, effectively replacing Aaron Rodgers after the future Hall of Famer was released in March. While the Jets don’t necessarily view Fields as their long-term answer, his age (26) and upside give them flexibility.
He’s a high-upside bridge option, a lottery ticket with real starting experience, and the team plans to give him every chance to prove he can be “the guy.”
It helps that he’s now surrounded by a top-10 offensive line, a superstar WR1, and a hopefully creative offensive coordinator in Tanner Engstrand who plans to lean into Fields’ strengths.
His legs alone give the Jets’ offense an identity they lacked last year, and if the fumbles can be cleaned up, there’s a real chance for growth. Nothing is guaranteed, though.
Meanwhile, Rodgers ended up signing with the Steelers on a one-year deal after the team failed to re-sign Fields, who they initially pursued in free agency. It seems both the Jets and Steelers disagree with our national media folks.
Fields will have an early opportunity to answer some of his remaining questions when the Jets and Steelers face off in Week 1. That game won’t define either team’s season, but for a player like Fields, still fighting to earn the respect of the football world, it'll be an opportunity to prove his doubters wrong.
Especially the ones who think he should be running routes instead of throwing passes. Ridiculous.
More NY Jets news and analysis: