Garrett Wilson got used to teammates approaching him in the Jets locker room this spring to talk about new quarterback Justin Fields.
“Guys come up to me and say, ‘That’s my guy.’ I already know. It’s been super cool. He’s got a different way about him,” said Wilson, who played with Fields at Ohio State. “He’s more quiet when it comes to getting to know people. It’s not going to be that first day, but when it does click it’s like, ‘Man, this dude is super cool, like super cool.’ ”
Fields spent the spring winning over his new Jets teammates and establishing himself as a leader. It comes with the job description of being an NFL quarterback, and Fields knows it.
“I kind of had a feeling when I got here, guys were looking for a leader to step up on offense, so I was glad to receive that role, and of course been pushing the guys each and every day to be our best and play up to our standard,” Fields said.
But Fields is a much different leader than Aaron Rodgers, his predecessor at the position. Coach Aaron Glenn has praised the “quiet confidence” Fields projects. There was nothing quiet about Rodgers.
“I take to him because he is authentic and he’s himself,” Glenn said of Fields. “It’s one thing that players can pick out is someone that’s fake, and there’s nothing about him that’s fake. So, I love everything about the player, I love everything about the way he carries himself.”
Jets players are not outwardly comparing Fields and Rodgers, but something running back Breece Hall said this spring stood out. He mentioned Fields’ age (26) and how that helps him relate to his teammates. Rodgers was the oldest player in the NFL last year and is now 41.
“You know, he gets hyped like everybody else,” Hall said of Fields. “He’s young like us. So we talk about a lot of the same stuff. You know, we can hang out on the weekends, and it’s just been cool to be around. He’s a good dude.”
Fields organized off-field activities with his teammates to get to know them this spring and has embraced that part of the job. No one will care, of course, if he does not play well this season, but the Jets have been encouraged by what they saw from Fields this spring.
The team decided to sign him to a two-year, $40 million contract hoping they can witness him turn his career around in a Jets uniform.
There have been encouraging signs over the past two years. In his past 13 games — six with the Steelers last year and seven with the Bears in 2023 — Fields has completed 63.3 percent of his passes and thrown 10 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He has run 132 times for 651 yards and eight touchdowns in that span.
“It’s just growth,” Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand said. “Going through his career, just continuing to stack experience along with it, and then ultimately [he] ends up winning four games out of the six [in 2024]. You just see some of the things that are starting to develop in his game, and then you look at that and you go, ‘That’s pretty good. We can do some things with that.’ And that’s kind of I think where it started, and then, of course, all the other things that everybody talks about, that’s real. Those things are real, and we’re excited to get going with him.”
Tight end Jeremy Ruckert also played with Fields at Ohio State. He said Fields has the right makeup to thrive here.
“I mean, ever since he walked on campus with us at Ohio State, coming from Georgia, you sense the seriousness about him, the competitiveness,” Ruckert said. “He’s super athletic. But I think the biggest thing about him is his mental toughness. Nothing’s going to rattle him. He’s good for this team and this area, and he wants the pressure. He’s built for it.”
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