Jets 2025 Make or Break: Can Justin Fields prove himself as long-term answer?
NFL training camp is coming, which means players around the league are getting their last bits of offseason work in before the real work of trying to make the roster begins.
For certain players, this season is what some may call "Make or Break," meaning they need to put together a productive year or they could be looking for employment elsewhere at the end of the season
We'll highlight some of those players for the Jets, continuing today with quarterback Justin Fields.
2024 Stats (with the Steelers)10 games, six starts (4-2 record)
66 percent completion rate, 1,106 passing yards, five touchdowns, one interception
289 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns, six fumbles
For the rest of this series, we're considering players who have been with the Jets for the past few years with the upcoming season set to dictate whether they remain with the team. With Fields, the situation is slightly different, but there's no doubt this is a make or break season for him.
Fields joins the Jets at a point in his career where he has an opportunity to prove he can still be a franchise quarterback. He signed just a two-year deal and is earning a lot less than other top quarterbacks around the league, so Fields will know he doesn't have a long leash. At the same time, everyone realizes how desperate the Jets are to find a long-term solution at the quarterback position. If Fields makes the most of his fresh start and plays well, the Jets will be compelled to give him every chance to become their quarterback of the future.
In six starts last year, Fields was more accurate than in the past, took care of the ball and posted a winning record. These are all good signs that he still hasn't reached his full potential, but unfortunately that's a small sample size because he wasn't able to add to those six starts once Russell Wilson returned from injury. The Jets are gambling on the fact that Fields will be able to build on that progress now that they've shown faith in him to start at quarterback for them.
Jun 10, 2025; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields (7) warms up during minicamp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. / John Jones-Imagn Images What will break it?Fields might play well in 2025 but that could be all for naught if the Jets fail to post a winning record once again. In that situation, Fields will only have a year left on his contract and the Jets could be more likely to draft their potential quarterback of the future than to lock Fields up to a longer-term extension.
Similarly, if the Jets post a winning record but Fields' performance is inconsistent, then it's unlikely the Jets will trust him to take them to the next level, and they may look to phase him out as they seek an upgrade.
Essentially, to have a long-term future in New York, Fields needs to play well and for the Jets to be much more competitive than they've been in recent seasons.
What will make it?So, what will it take for Fields to play at a high enough level for the Jets to become convinced that he can be the long-term solution?
The improvement in accuracy and ball security numbers are positive. At the same time, the Steelers used him more like a game manager, as his rushing numbers were down and he averaged fewer than 200 passing yards per start.
The Jets specifically targeted Fields as someone who could make Tanner Engstrand's new offensive system work, which suggests they will exploit his running ability. Fields rushed for over 1,100 yards in his second season in 2022, but has fewer than 950 rushing yards in the past two seasons combined.
His mobility could bring an exciting dimension to a Jets offense that has ranked near the bottom of the league for most of the last decade and has often been boring to watch. However, if the Jets give him freedom to create, Fields still needs to remember that ball security is a top priority.