Justin Fields has reached a level of Jets QB futility we’ve never seen before

Justin Fields is on pace to do something that no quarterback in New York Jets history has ever done, and certainly not in a good way. The Jets have seen plenty of bad quarterback play over the years, but Fields is quickly redefining the bar.

Fields has miraculously failed to reach 50 net passing yards in four of his eight starts this season. That’s more than double the number of times the likes of Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith, Sam Darnold, and Zach Wilson did that — and those guys all had at least 30 starts with the team. Fields has had eight.

Even by Jets standards, what Fields is doing is unprecedented. The lows have been so low they almost defy logic, and yet, here he is, likely still starting on Thursday Night Football against the 8-2 New England Patriots.

The Jets have won two straight, but unless Fields shows something soon, this could easily be the last start of his brief, disappointing tenure in Florham Park.

Justin Fields has been historically bad for the Jets in 2025

Fields’ recent performance against the Cleveland Browns was arguably a new low point in a season full of them, even if the Jets still emerged with a 27-20 victory.

The Ohio State product completed just six passes for 54 yards, 42 of which came on a screen pass to Breece Hall. That means the other 59 minutes of football produced 12 passing yards. In four of his eight starts, Fields hasn’t even topped 60 yards. In today’s NFL, that’s almost statistically impossible.

Heck, in any era that should be impossible.

This is a player who ranks 30th in adjusted EPA per play and is buried near the bottom of every major passing metric. When he’s bad, the offense doesn’t just stall — it ceases to function entirely. His lows have been historically low, unplayably low.

Ironically, Fields wasn’t even supposed to be starting right now. He was on the verge of being benched ahead of the Jets’ Week 8 game against Cincinnati before Tyrod Taylor’s knee injury saved him.

Fields responded with one of his best games of the season, throwing for 244 yards and a touchdown in a 39-38 win, which was enough to temporarily earn back his job heading into the bye. But after the Browns game, that leash should be as short as it’s ever been.

Taylor is healthy again, rookie Brady Cook remains on the practice squad, and patience within the building has to be wearing thin. The Jets have managed to win two straight, but that’s despite Fields, not because of him.

Now, with the entire league watching on Thursday night and the Patriots riding a seven-game winning streak, the margin for error has vanished.

If Fields puts together another one of his “12-yard passing” specials, this might be the final chapter of his brief and bewildering Jets career.