Fields was the No. 11 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, appearing in 40 games (38 starts) for the Bears over three seasons. Fields completed 60.3% of his passes in Chicago for 6,674 yards with 40 TDs and 30 INTs. He also averaged 740 yards on the ground per season and registered 14 rush TDs. In 2022, Fields rushed for 1,143 yards, which is the second-highest total for a QB in league history. His 2,562 pass yards in 2023 were a career high.
With the Steelers in the 2024 season, Fields (6-3, 227) went 4-2 as a starter while totaling 10 TDs (5 pass/5 run) against just 2 turnovers. His 66% completion percentage and 93.9 passer rating were career highs.
"That was the biggest thing, him protecting the football, because that was the issue when he was a younger quarterback," Douzable said, referring to his time as a starter in Pittsburgh, before he was replaced by the veteran Russell Wilson.
"We know how dynamic he is with his legs in the open field," Douzable said. "And what people don't talk about enough is how physical he is when he becomes a runner. He's extremely hard to bring down. So you always hear the terminology 'plus one' in the run game. That's what Justin Fields gives you. This guy can throw the pill.
"Let's not forget, D.J. Moore's best career year \[2023, 1,364 receiving yards, 8 TDs\] was with Justin Fields. Not all the other quarterbacks he played with, it was with Justin Fields. So, he can definitely throw the ball down the field. I think, also with Darren Mougey and also, AG, they looked at us and said, he's got some synergy and some continuity with our No. 1 receiver, right? Because he played with Garrett Wilson in college. He played with Jeremy Rucker in college, and, oh, by the way, we signed his center in Josh Myers to bring him along as well.
"So, he's going to have some familiar faces on this team where he feels comfortable, knows he's going to be the starter from Day 1, and we're praying and hoping that we can continue to develop this guy, and maybe there's a potential for him to be the long-term franchise quarterback for the New York Jets. And I think that's what Justin Fields was looking at and why he decided to sign with the New York Jets, because he knows there's an opportunity, if he shows right, that he could potentially be the quarterback of the future."