“Before I got here, I heard nothing but great things about Coach T (Mike Tomlin). That’s what I’ve seen in person being here. He’s a great coach, great leader.” That was Justin Fields, back when he was settling into Pittsburgh like a guy who just found the perfect Spotify playlist. The vibes were right, and the support was real, but this league doesn’t stop moving, does it?

Fields’ last ride in Pittsburgh? Yeah, it was kind of a rollercoaster without the fun drops. For the first six weeks, the guy stepped in for Russell Wilson, who was out nursing an injury, and actually balled out. Went 4-2, showed real flashes like, “Hey, maybe I am that guy.” But the second Russ healed up? Boom, back to the bench. Sat tight, played nice, barely saw daylight. The QB gave the Steelers a jumpstart and still got treated like a promo email—opened, ignored, forgotten.

Then came the off-season drama that divided the Steel City into two halves. Some wanted a veteran to lead the team, while others believed Fields was the right choice. Little did they expect a plot twist that included Fields’ desire to find a better opportunity, and lurking in the shadows—the New York Jets. The result? The 26-year-old QB packed his bags and left for New York. And here’s the kicker.

When he was asked about the Steelers benching him last year, the guy straight up admitted that he’s never going to go against Tomlin’s decision. “It was different for me and a space I wasn’t really comfortable. But Coach Tomlin made a decision he thought was best for the team. I’m never going to go against that. I just tried to change my perspective and get better in practice,” Fields said in his first conference for the Jets.

The Steelers were reportedly made it a priority to sign Fields for the 2025 season. But that didn’t stop him from signing a two-year $40 million ($30 million guaranteed) deal with the Jets. The interesting part? Fields revealed that the Steelers benching him last season didn’t influence his decision to sign with the Jets. “Not really. You can’t take things personal … at the end of the day I was just excited about what the #Jets had going on here. It didn’t have anything to do with Pittsburgh but the opportunity I had here to make an impact,” he added.

With the Steelers, the guy showed better decision-making skills than in his previous stint in Chicago. However, Mike Tomlin and Co. went ahead with Wilson despite Fields giving a strong start. Sure, the decision turned out well initially, but the Steel City didn’t get that fairy-tale ending. Not one bit.

On the other side, when Fields was asked about his previous experiences in other offenses, he stated, “I did what I was asked to do, I’ve never had a problem with that. I’m grateful for all of the experiences that I’ve had. I think I’m progressing and getting better each and every year.” To make it more obvious, the Jets’ newly appointed head coach, Aaron Glenn, seems pretty confident with his QB.

Aaron Glenn believes that Justin Fields will be a top-notch QB

The Jets’ quarterback situation in the last couple of years? Yeah, it’s been messier than a New York slice on a windy day. When they signed Aaron Rodgers, they thought he was going to be the Big Apple’s Broadway star. Four snaps in, and boom—Achilles says no. Enter Zach Wilson, who had more ups and downs than a Coney Island rollercoaster. Then came Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian, each taking their shot under center. Guess it’s quite messy to count the whole number of QBs.

But with the arrival of a new regime, the Jets were looking for a roster shuffle. And the most obvious part was ditching Rodgers and signing a young signal-caller. Enter Justin Fields, and looks like the New York team’s going to flip the script in the next season with Fields—at least that’s what Aaron Glenn believes.

“He (Fields) has a quiet confidence about himself,” the HC told at the Annual League Meeting. “He can really throw the deep ball really, really well. Obviously, his legs are something that’s dynamic not just in college but the NFL, as well. I just think he’s ready to break out as a top-notch quarterback. So, he’s going to do everything he can to be one of the better ones and we are going to coach our asses off to make sure he does a good job out there.” Facts.

During his last season in Pittsburgh, the guy recorded over 1,000 yards and racked up 5 TDs in 10 games that he appeared before getting sidelined. But when Glenn talks about his dynamic legs, he isn’t just talking the talk. Remember Fields’ second season in Chicago? Yeah, the QB rushed for 1,143 yards and took a trip to the end zone 8 times.

And at this time, the Jets’ GM, Darren Mougey, is probably hoping for Glenn’s prediction to come true. The reason? Well, the GM already confirmed that Justin Fields is going to be their QB1 in the next season. “We believe Justin is the starter,” he had said. “We believe in Justin — we believe we can win with Justin. So, we’re excited about Justin.” 

That said, Fields is now gearing up to replace Aaron Rodgers as the Jets’ starting QB. All we can really do is cross our fingers and hope the guy doesn’t end up as just another name on the Jets’ long, cursed list of QB experiments gone sideways.