It's clear something has to change for the New York Jets to be successful, but pinpointing what that actually is has been a test the franchise has failed for a while now.
Some believe it's ownership. Woody Johnson has been under fire for a few years now for some questionable decision-making. Several moves have backfired on Johnson in recent years, including drafting quarterback Zach Wilson No. 2 overall, trading for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, hiring former head coach Robert Saleh, and so on.
Others believe it's the instability at the quarterback position. New York really hasn't had any stability at the position since the Chad Pennington era from 2002 to 2007. Since then, Brett Favre, Mark Sanchez, Greg McElroy, Geno Smith, Michael Vick, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bryce Petty, Josh McCown, Sam Darnold, Luke Falk, Mike White, Joe Flacco, Trevor Siemian, Tim Boyle, Wilson, Rodgers, and Justin Fields have all been handed the keys to the offense, and all of them have failed, combining for 11 losing seasons since 2007.
And if you ask Johnson, the quarterback - specifically Fields - is what's holding the 2025 Jets back.
"It looks like [head coach Aaron Glenn is] turning around parts of it [but] it’s hard when you have a quarterback with the rating that we’ve got," Johnson told Yahoo Sports' Jori Epstein earlier this week.
"He has the ability but something is just not jiving. If you look at any head coach with a quarterback like that, you’re going to see similar results across the league… if we could just complete a pass, it would look good."
Johnson's remarks spread like wild fire on social media, and it didn't take long for reporters to ask Fields what he thought about the shade thrown at him by the owner of the team that employs him.
"It doesn’t bother me," Fields stated. "Of course, everybody knows I need to play better, we need to play better as a team. No matter how the offense does as a unit, I’m going to get the blame and I understand that. That’s just what comes with the job. It’s what comes with it so you can’t let anything kind of affect your mind, my mind.
"That is what it is, no matter if it’s him, no matter if it’s family members, even teammates sometimes. There’s going to be times where you have to be the only one who believes in yourself. That’s his opinion. Like I told you guys after the game on Sunday, I’m at peace and all my focus is working each and every day and getting better."
While some might have expected Fields to throw some shade right back Johnson’s way, publicly acknowledging he doesn’t even listen when the owner talks about the team may have been an even more cruel clap back.
Fields, who signed a two-year, $40 million contract during the offseason, may have a chance to prove Johnson wrong Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Glenn hasn't named a starter yet, and it's possible Fields could get one more opportunity before the team turns to backup Tyrod Taylor.
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