Four years ago there was a strong argument that Justin Fields, not Zach Wilson, should have been the Jets' quarterback of the future.
It turned out that Zach Wilson wasn’t the right guy for the Jets. Now, we’ll finally find out if Fields is.
The Jets and Fields have agreed to a deal to make him the team’s next quarterback. The contract will pay Fields $40 million over two years, with $30 million guaranteed according to NFL Network which first reported the agreement.
The move will frustrate some Jets fans, because it will be hard for Fields to play at the level of the man he’s replacing: future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. But that doesn’t make it bad deal for the Jets, who get to start over with a quarterback 15 years younger than Rodgers who carries none of the internal and external baggage of the legendary passer they decided to cut earlier this offseason.
It’s a perfect deal for the Jets, because if Fields takes another step toward realizing his massive upside he’ll be playing at a huge value in 2026. And if he doesn’t, it won’t be difficult for the Jets to move on with only $30 million in guarantees.
Of all the free agents available, Fields made the most sense for the Jets — for the reasons listed above and a few more, including his relationship with top receiver Garrett Wilson who he played with at Ohio State.
Fields allows them to remain competitive in 2025, even if they decide to pick another quarterback in the NFL Draft.
It also creates competition at the quarterback position: while Fields will certainly have the upper hand on the job in 2025, given his contract, he should still have to beat out Tyrod Taylor for the starting job in training camp. And if the Jets decide to draft a quarterback in 2025, it allows them to evaluate the new guy with zero pressure on him or Fields in the short term and give them a potential replacement on the roster for 2026 if Fields doesn’t take a major step forward.
Fields obviously has his drawbacks, especially as a pure passer.
But he’s also an explosive playmaker who proved with Pittsburgh he’s capable of taking care of the ball and winning games. It’s most likely that he’s a high-level bridge quarterback. But it’s also possible that he’s the long term answer because he’s only 26.
Either way, the Jets won’t have done major damage to their future if the Fields experiment lasts for only one year.
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_Andy Vasquez may be reached at_ [_avasquez@njadvancemedia.com_](mailto:avasquez@njadvancemedia.com)_._