A day after reporting to training camp and getting a load of their new, state-of-the-art locker room, the New York Jets were on the field Wednesday for their first practice, which quarterback Justin Fields kicked off with a bang. The New York Jets’ X (formerly Twitter) account shared a video clip of a gorgeous pass from Fields down the sideline to his left. According to the Jets, this was the very first play of the 7-on-7 portion of practice. Check it out.
would you believe us if we told you this was the first play of 7-on-7? pic.twitter.com/I4Ax2NJQUt
— New York Jets (@nyjets) July 23, 2025
It's fitting that this pass went to Garrett Wilson, who is probably still enjoying that historic new contract he signed last week. Fields and Wilson both played college football at Ohio State and were teammates for two years, with Fields being drafted by the Chicago Bears in 2021 and Wilson the following year. In an ironic twist of fate, there was a stretch of time leading up to the 2021 NFL draft where most analysts believed the Jets would select Fields with the No. 2 pick. That obviously did not happen, but he ended up with the organization anyway.
The chemistry between these two was readily apparent in college and it seems to already be back to full strength. Quarterback and receiver appeared to be getting along famously during OTA’s last month and now, just one day into training camp, they’re already compiling a highlight reel.
I would remind Jets fans not to get too carried away, however. Yes, these passes from Fields are exciting and he has arguably the prettiest deep ball in the NFL. He also offers tantalizing upside as a runner. But there’s a reason Fields is on his third team in his fifth NFL season. Potential and upside only take you so far. At some point it has to all come together in the regular season and thus far it hasn’t.
That’s not to say it won’t ever happen. After watching Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold resurrect their careers in consecutive seasons, it’d be foolish to dismiss out of hand the possibility of Fields doing the same. But Jets fans have to understand what a longshot that is. ‘Cautious optimism’ must be the watchword.
In the meantime, enjoy the highlight throws to your heart’s content.