The New York Jets decided not to bring Aaron Rodgers back for the 2025 season. Instead, they signed former Bears and Steelers quarterback Justin Fields to a two-year deal with a massive amount of money guaranteed. They hope that surrounding him with a solid roster can help him reach his full potential. New head coach Aaron Glenn was asked about Fields, and his answer revealed he is already liking what he sees.
New York Jets’ Aaron Glenn on Justin Fields
The New York Jets didn’t draft a quarterback with the seventh overall pick, opting instead to bolster the offensive line with Armand Membou. This marks the second straight draft that the team has taken one of the top offensive tackles in the draft. It also signals they like what they have at the quarterback position heading into the 2025 season. Glenn revealed this was the team-building plan.
“Listen, we want to surround Justin with good skill players, along with a good offensive line. So any time you can do that within any offense, with any quarterback, man, that’s an A-plus. So that’s the plan, it’s always been the plan, and that’s something that we’ve talked about before. Let him be a quarterback and surround him with good players.”
The New York Jets have plenty of good players. Garrett Wilson is one of the best young receivers in the league, and Breece Hall has also shown flashes of greatness. Fields will have to show he has improved as a pocket passer. In this career, he has a 61.1 completion percentage while throwing 45 touchdowns versus 31 interceptions. His inability to navigate the pocket has been his downfall. However, he is only 26 years old, and the team hopes he can have a Sam Darnold or Geno Smith-like resurgence late in his career.
Low Risk Move
While the massive amount of guaranteed money may leave some scratching their heads, this is basically a one-year prove-it deal. If he performs well, the New York Jets have a quarterback moving forward. However, if he doesn’t and the Jets continue their losing ways, the 2026 NFL Draft has a potentially stacked quarterback class. This may have been one of the reasons many teams decided not to be aggressive for a quarterback during this year’s draft. There are five or six names in the upcoming class that people are excited about.
Final Thoughts
The raw athletic talent is there for Justin Fields. If Glenn and his staff can unlock his abilities, they could surprise some teams this year. Fields can devastate a defense with his legs. If he keeps opposing defenses honest with his arm, this offense could be very difficult to stop in 2025.
