Jets reporter hints at potential Justin Fields drama after owner's public humiliation

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson didn’t mince words when speaking to reporters about his team’s 0-7 start at the NFL league meetings in New York City on Tuesday. Johnson deflected blame from his head coach, instead pointing the finger squarely at one reason for the Jets’ disastrous season.

That reason was Justin Fields. Johnson verbally eviscerated Fields, essentially blaming him for all of his team's problems in an eight-minute back-and-forth with reporters at the event.

Johnson insisted it was basically impossible for any head coach to succeed with the quarterback play the Jets have received, throwing Fields under the bus while shielding both the coaching staff and roster from further criticism.

The reaction from outsiders has been jarring, and it's safe to say that many in the Jets' locker room probably didn't take too kindly to Johnson's public humiliation of his quarterback. In fact, Fields himself probably isn't too pleased.

That was the sentiment shared by SNY's Connor Hughes on an episode of Jets Final Drive recorded later that day. Hughes speculated that there could be trouble brewing in Florham Park following Johnson's comments.

"I think we could have some drama coming down the line here about the quarterback after hearing those comments about him, which were an attack."

Justin Fields probably isn't happy about Woody Johnson's public evisceration

Hughes couldn’t say for certain whether Fields would cause any issues in the locker room following Johnson’s comments, but he raised a fair point — the fifth-year quarterback almost certainly wasn’t thrilled to hear those remarks coming from the top of the organization.

Fields was already struggling for confidence after putting together what was probably the worst stretch of his football career. It's safe to say that Johnson's public burial isn't going to help boost his confidence.

Johnson’s comments, even if partly accurate, are counterproductive. They only serve to further sap morale in the locker room and place his head coach — the very coach he insists he still trusts — in an even more unenviable position.

How can the Jets even consider starting Fields on Sunday after Johnson’s comments? How could they think about handing the reins of the offense back to him in a few weeks? At this point, that bridge seems to have been burned by the team’s owner.

Fields has never been known to cause locker room issues. A quiet, often soft-spoken leader, he has handled benchings well in the past. But this is unfamiliar territory. At this point, he’d be well within his rights to request a trade.

Why would he want to keep playing for a team whose owner just declared to the world that he’s the sole problem with the organization? This was a public humiliation ritual — an outright attack, if you will.

Woody Johnson’s assessment of the Jets’ struggles may not have been entirely wrong, but that’s beside the point. His comments just made life harder for his quarterback, the locker room, and the head coach he claimed to support. That’s the real problem.