The New York Jets have their starting quarterback for the post-Aaron Rodgers era: Justin Fields. New York is signing the former Chicago Bears first-round pick to a two-year, $40 million deal with $30 million guaranteed, according to ESPN.
The Pittsburgh Steelers had a 4-2 record and averaged 20.7 points per game with Fields starting in the first six weeks of the 2024 season. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin opted to give his starting quarterback job to veteran Russell Wilson after he recovered from a preseason calf injury.
Fields took much better care of the football with the Steelers than he did with the Bears: He averaged a turnover on only 0.8% of his plays in 2024 after averaging an NFL-worst 2.8% turnover rate from 2021-2023 in Chicago. His awareness and poise in the pocket also improved in Pittsburgh: Field averaged an NFL-worst 12.4% sack rate from 2021-2023 with the Bears, but he cut that rate down to 9% in 2024 with the steelers.
Now, Fields will play for new Jets head coach Aaron Glenn, who he faced regularly in Chicago while Glenn was the defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions. He also gets to reunite with Ohio State Buckeyes teammate Garrett Wilson, New York’s top wide receiver. Wilson is the only player in Jets history with at least 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first three seasons despite catching passes from a revolving cast of quarterbacks since 2022. The Steelers, Fields’ former team, is now left with a few veteran options on the free agency market like four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers and 10-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson.
