Justin Fields shares brutally honest take on Jets’ preseason struggles

In their preseason opener, the New York Jets surpassed 400 total yards and held the Green Bay Packers to just 188 in a 30-10 rout. It was a sign of a new era in Florham Park that Aaron Glenn was the correct man to right the ship and that the Jets were transitioning to a more physical style of play with Justin Fields under center.

But in their second taste of preseason action, Gang Green stumbled a bit. With key offensive starters only playing two drives, the Jets fell to the New York Giants 31-12 in a game that saw Big Blue amass 478 total yards, including 407 through the air.

Justin Fields finished just 1-of-5 with four passing yards and five rushing yards, while Garrett Wilson recorded no receptions despite being targeted by Fields three times. The team looked outplayed in almost every area and displayed the Ohio State product’s limitations, which he was candid about after the game.

“It has to be better,” Fields said about the first two drives. “It wasn’t up to our standard.”

The Jets know Justin Fields and the passing games need to be better

That kind of accountability is exactly what the Jets have been waiting for from their quarterback room. Zach Wilson never came close to living up to expectations, Aaron Rodgers isn’t exactly a model leader, and Sam Darnold was never given a real shot to succeed as a Jet.

This means that despite never surpassing 2,562 passing yards in a season, the 26-year-old is in prime position to succeed, and his mobility is a unicorn the team has never had from a signal-caller of theirs.

Moreover, Fields has played for Mike Tomlin and sat under Russell Wilson, so his experience is a clear asset, even though he may not be much more than a bridge starter at this stage of his career. At least they are molding Tanner Engstrand’s system around his skill set and rallying the locker room behind him.

In Green Bay, Glenn’s unit recorded 10 penalties for 91 yards and followed that up with seven penalties for 65 yards in their return to MetLife Stadium. As it stands, a clear cause for concern in New York is the lack of discipline and how those self-inflicted wounds can prove costly.

The standard is rising in Florham Park, so if the Jets really want to end their 14-year playoff drought, things will have to be sharper. The fanbase is desperate for results, which only makes the margin for error even smaller.

And if he doesn’t pan out in 2025, Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey will be taking a long look at quarterbacks to replace Fields in the 2026 NFL Draft.

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