The Chicago Bears have had some whiffs at quarterback over the years, but few have had a path as intriguing as Justin Fields. Brought in with the final first-round pick of the Matt Nagy/Ryan Pace regime, Fields was eventually phased out in favor of Caleb Williams and embarked on a journeyman status.
After a one-year stop with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Fields got another chance as a starter when he signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the New York Jets last spring. But his latest opportunity may end after just six games following Fields' dreadful performance against the Denver Broncos on Sunday morning.
Fields completed just 9-of-17 passes for 45 yards in the loss. While he was able to generate 31 rushing yards on seven attempts, he never got the Jets’ offense going, leading them to 82 total yards and minus-10 passing yards as a team. The stats are brutal, and Fields wasn’t helped out by [an offensive line that allowed nine sacks in the game.](https://x.com/TheNFLDrop/status/1977412913062347033) But it’s also the latest rough chapter in a career that has spanned five years and now has a 14-35 record as a starter.
Justin Fields’ NFL Career is Hanging by a Thread After Sunday’s Struggles
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Fields was one of the top quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL draft, but started sliding down the board after Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and Trey Lance went with the first three picks. The Bears traded up to take Fields with the 11th overall pick in the draft, but it was about as effective as a struggling couple trying to save a marriage by having another child.
The Bears have never seemed to have a long-term plan for Fields, as Nagy and Pace were fired at the end of the 2021 season. The new regime, led by Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles, viewed Fields as a transitional quarterback to achieve their long-term plan. After a 10-28 record as a starter, Fields was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers at the conclusion of the 2023 season.
While things seemed doomed, Fields showed just enough in Pittsburgh to keep his stock afloat. He completed a career-high 65.8% of his passes with 1,106 passing yards, five touchdowns, and an interception while leading the Steelers to a 4-2 record. But Mike Tomlin opted to plug Russell Wilson back into the lineup after he recovered from a preseason calf injury, and Fields never made another start.
But the Jets were the quarterback-needy team to sign Fields and it has led to disappointing results. Fields is completing 65% of his passes and hasn’t thrown an interception but he’s thrown for just 799 yards (159.8 per game) and four touchdowns over the first five games.
What’s worse is that this isn’t even Fields’s worst performance of the season. He completed just 3-of-11 passes for 27 yards before leaving a Sept. 14 loss to the Buffalo Bills, but [that also included a concussion](https://dawindycity.com/jets-learning-tough-justin-fields-injury-lesson-bears-01k56yc8qbv7) that knocked him out of the game.
While the Jets would eat $22 million in dead money if they cut Fields before June 1, trotting Fields out there isn’t the best option to win games. Tyrod Taylor also led the Jets’ most competitive effort of the year when Fields was injured, throwing for 197 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in a Sept. 21 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and head coach Aaron Glenn is already on the hot seat after an 0-6 start.
Add it all together the and Fields may have not only run out of lives in New York but as an NFL starter after a career that has never seemed to get going.
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