Jets fans have to question Justin Fields' spot in backup quarterback rankings

The New York Jets may be free of Justin Fields, and all that entails, but that hasn't stopped many in the national media from still hoping that the former Chicago Bears first-round pick is eventually going to put it all together in the way Aaron Glenn thought he was about to.

Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano ranked Fields as the eighth-best backup quarterback in the NFL, mostly banking on the assumption that the feckless performance he had last year with the Jets is not representative of his overall body of work as a player. Jets fans would likely object to that ranking.

Fields ranked above names like No. 11 Davis Mills (who went 3-0 when filling in for CJ Stroud last season), No. 18 Marcus Mariota (who many Jets fans wanted to sign as a stopgap quarterback this offseason), and No. 16 Tyrod Taylor (who outplayed Fields last season in New York). Fields' arm and pedigree can't keep getting him extra contracts.

SI ranks former Jets QB Justin Fields as NFL's eighth-best backup

Fields' low turnover numbers and rushing stats are complete fool's gold. His inability to throw the ball downfield is paralyzing for an offense. Fields' best traits as a quarterback are his arm and scrambling ability. However, the arm is worthless if he never challenges defenses down the field, and you can't build an NFL offense around scrambling.

Not only does he make good offensive lines look bad by holding the ball and taking bad sacks (as he did when he recorded an astounding -10 passing yards due to sack yardage against the Denver Broncos), but he has shown no progress in fixing his fatal flaw. Even going back to Ohio State, Fields was a slow processor.

The only reason to have any optimism for Fields, even after his 4-2 stint as a fill-in starter with the Pittsburgh Steelers, is to assume that leaving the miasma of disappointment the Jets drown players in will give him a boost. On the field, there is no reason to suggest Fields can operate an NFL offense with any degree of aplomb.

Fields may have to steady the Kansas City ship early in the season if Patrick Mahomes is not back to full strength, and that could give Andy Reid and the entire Chiefs fanbase a crash course in how the Jets' 2025 season went from mildly promising to one of the more unwatchable affairs in the league.

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