NY Jets sign Justin Fields and bet big on the highest-upside QB available

The NY Jets entered free agency with one goal in mind for the quarterback position: sign Justin Fields. Reports made it clear that Fields was the Jets' preferred target at the position in the weeks leading up to free agency, and on Monday, the team closed the deal.

The Jets have reportedly signed Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract with $30 million in guarantees. The deal makes sense for both sides, with the Jets taking a chance on a high-upside bridge quarterback while Fields will have an opportunity to compete for the starting job.

Fields joins a quarterback room that also features veteran journeyman Tyrod Taylor and 2024 fifth-round pick Jordan Travis. The Jets could also look to target a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft, although the addition of Fields makes that less likely.

The Pittsburgh Steelers remained very interested in re-signing Fields and made a strong push for him this week, but it was the Jets who were able to get a deal done. The Jets have a new starting quarterback.

Justin Fields is the high-upside bridge quarterback the NY Jets coveted

The 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Fields spent the first three seasons of his career with the Chicago Bears before he was unceremoniously shipped to Pittsburgh last offseason.

Many of the same issues that plagued Fields' tenure in Chicago followed him to the Steelers, but he was able to play some of the most efficient football of his career. Fields led the Steelers to a 4-2 record in six starts, recording 10 total touchdowns (five passing) and just one interception. He did, however, also fumble six times.

The Jets are hoping to build on the progress Fields made last season while also helping him regain the explosiveness he sacrificed in favor of the more game-manager style of play he adopted.

With the No. 7 overall pick in the draft, the Jets were unlikely to find their long-term solution this year. Fields gives the team a likely bridge starter who has a chance to develop into something more.

We've seen former first-round picks like Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield revitalize their careers with new teams and emerge as legitimate starting quarterbacks in recent years. The Jets are hoping Fields could follow a similar trajectory.

At the very least, Fields is a more exciting option than the Jets' reported contingency plans, Carson Wentz and Marcus Mariota.

There's a new starting quarterback in Florham Park. Welcome to New York, Justin Fields.

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