The ultimate highlight of Justin Fields' NFL tour is his athletic outburst with the Chicago Bears in 2022. Fields shattered records, including setting the single-game regular season rushing record with 178 yards against the Miami Dolphins.
Overall in 2022, Fields ran for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns in 15 games. But the issue has never been with his legs. Rather, it's been consistently performing in the passing game.
In his two years as the starter in Chicago, Fields never threw for more than 2,570 yards in one season. That continued into his one-year tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers, throwing for 1,106 yards in six starts.
Now with the New York Jets, Fields earned a two-year, $40 million contract to be the starter. Jets General Manager Darren Mougey sees room for growth both for Fields and the franchise.
“I do believe Justin can be one of those guys,” Mougey said Thursday morning, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini. “I've seen progress during this camp and look forward to seeing the progress throughout the season as they all come together.”
‘One of those guys,' meaning like Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield. Both, like Fields, were first-round draft picks and struggled to find their footing in the NFL.
Mayfield was a four-year starter for the Cleveland Browns. But eventually, inconsistency led Cleveland to trade the former first overall pick to the Carolina Panthers. Now, Mayfield is a two-time Pro Bowler, throwing for over 4,000 yards in consecutive seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Darnold has a similar path. He struggled in his first four seasons with the Jets and Panthers, but experienced a resurgence with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024. Following their breakout seasons, both Mayfield and Darnold earned three-year contracts worth roughly $100 million.
“Obviously, it's his third stop in three years with three different coordinators and a lot of moving parts, so it does take time,” Mougey said. “But I like where he's at and I look forward to watching the progress.”
Despite not playing a regular-season snap with the Jets, Mougey and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand are already impressed with Fields' development throughout training camp.
It was officially announced on Thursday that Fields will be a captain when the Jets kick off the 2025 season against the Steelers.
