New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields is entering the ultimate prove-it season in 2025. The former 2021 first-round pick has gone from being dubbed the Chicago Bears' franchise quarterback of the future to a backup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, to now, a potential long-term starter for the Jets, assuming he makes good on the two-year, $40 million contract he signed this offseason.
Fields' future will ultimately be decided by how he performs in 2025, and while that may seem like it's stating the obvious, it goes a little deeper than that.
Fields can't have an 'OK' season; he can't be slightly above average. Instead, he needs to prove that he's so good that the Jets don't have to dip into the first round of the 2026 NFL draft to find their QB-next.
According to ESPN's Dan Graziano, it's the biggest quarterback question facing Gang Green in 2025.
"It sounds like the Jets are going to give Fields a real chance to answer this question, one way or the other," Graziano wrote. "They certainly haven't ruled out the idea that he can be their long-term starter at quarterback. He's still only 26 years old and has a unique combination of experience and upside. That said, the $10 million in guaranteed money on his contract for 2026 won't stand in the way of the team drafting or acquiring someone it sees as a better option next spring if Fields doesn't play well enough to convince it otherwise."
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After resetting with the Steelers in 2024, Fields finally has an offense that's his again, and, according to Jets coach Aaron Glenn, the Jets will play to Fields' strengths. Remember: a win is a win, regardless of whether a quarterback throws for 300 yards and a few scores or does it with his legs, which has been Fields' calling card as a pro.
Fields nearly set the single-season rushing record for a quarterback in 2022.
But therein lies the biggest problem for the former Ohio State star: he hasn't developed as a passer, which has lowered the ceiling on his upside, according to most industry insiders. It's why his outlook as a long-term starter is murky, at best.
Indeed, Justin Fields will have the final say in whether he's a starting quarterback in the NFL. His play will speak for him, and if he makes good on the scouting report that made him a first-round pick, the New York Jets will have their quarterback locked in for a while.
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