The Most Polarizing Quarterback in NFL History
Summary: Some fans think Justin Fields could be the truth while others view his play as an abomination past the point of return. I’m painting the full picture of his career as a slight truther.
If there’s one thing people can agree on when it comes to Justin Fields it’s that his career has been quite a disappointment. Whether the blame falls on Justin Fields or the organizations he has had to endure, it has just been ugly. As a passer Fields never has been comfortable in the pocket with no offensive line to protect him. How does one expect a quarterback to enter an organization with Darnell Mooney as the number one wideout and no offensive line whatsoever in Chicago? Some of the offensive play calls during Fields’ initial growing pain reps looked like elementary school recess football. Justin running around praying for Darnell Mooney to get open deep while having absolutely no semblance of the fundamentals. How is a rookie quarterback supposed to lead a decent WR2, Cole Kmet, and one of the worst lines in all of the NFL anywhere near a winning record? He didn’t, but the media as well as Bears management held Justin to that standard. Being the ninth pick in the 2021 NFL draft comes with expectations and with Fields’ body of work in college his expectations far surpassed a typical ninth pick in the draft. There were so many throws during his collegiate career where Fields would uncork 60+ yard bombs with touch and anticipation directly into Chris Olave’s or Garrett Wilson’s breadbaskets. He was a spectacle and the culmination of arm strength, pinpoint precision, and top end athleticism created an avalanche of hype around his name. By default and out of fear for his safety he was always on the move in Chicago. This caused him to miss reads, sacrifice accuracy, and give up on plays before they could even develop. His rookie year went as most do, not so good. Then he showed the NFL what they could be in store for.
In year two Fields had an unsuspected campaign. Although he wasn’t a polished passer with far too many picks and a low completion percentage, his legs never stopped churning. This year he ran for 1,143 yards and these plays where he tucked the ball and ran were marvelous to watch. Broken tackles, elusiveness in the open field, and vision that you typically see in a running back were on full display for Justin. This led many to wonder if Fields could finally put it all together in year three if he just had a weapon to throw it to outside of Darnell Mooney. So Bears GM Ryan Poles fleeced David Tepper and the Panthers by demanding a King’s Ransom in return for the Bears first overall pick in 2023. This haul included a multitude of highly sought after draft picks and a budding star wide receiver DJ Moore. This haul meant Carolina could secure Bryce Young as their franchise QB. Moore’s first year in 2023 with the Bears saw him put up career numbers and develop a bit of a connection with Fields. Fields incrementally improved as a passer with Moore to throw the ball to, but his 2,500 yards passing, turnover issues, lack of confidence, and four missed games due to skeptical injury listings had sealed his fate in Chicago. Now the Bears looked ahead to having the number one pick in 2024 (via the Panthers). Their sights on the most highly anticipated QB prospect in modern day history, Caleb Williams. Fields got dumped and everyone in the organization understood except for Fields’ go to guy, Moore.
Generally one would think an elite level NFL wide receiver in a fluttering offense wouldn’t stick up for a QB who wasn’t producing. But for Moore, that most definitely was not the case. He was disgruntled by the decision to let Fields walk and didn’t hesitate to show it all season in 2024. From the moment QB prodigy Caleb Williams took the field Moore was not entertained. Caleb was misplacing passes down the sideline to DJ early in the season to the point where Moore didn’t even have a chance to make a catch. Caleb holding onto the football for way too long, his inability to attack defenses with the deep ball, and the amount of times the offense would punt the football after no positive plays was disheartening. Especially for DJ Moore. Moore’s stats suffered as he went from over 1,300 yards receiving in Fields’ last year to falling just short of 1,000 yards with Caleb. And even though Caleb had a way better statistical season as a passer compared to Fields the season prior, it was largely a facade. Williams feasted on the worst NFL defenses and garbage time to soar up to 3,500 yards passing. Although he had an incredible TD:INT ratio of over 3:1, it didn’t really mean anything. Punting the football constantly is essentially equal to turning over the football considering the Bears never sustained drives in Williams’ rookie year. Whilst the trouble in paradise ensued in the Windy City, Justin Fields had signed a minimal one year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers to give him an audition to earn back his starting status in the league.
This time he was nowhere near the guy. The Steelers made a savvy move to get QB Russell Wilson from the Broncos for just over $1 million. With the question looming over Mike Tomlin’s head of who would start Week 1, his hand was forced. Russell Wilson was Out with a calf injury. Justin Fields gets a chance. That would be nice. Unless the team they surrounded him with had absolutely no firepower. Well of course it didn’t. Calvin Austin III, Najee Harris, and Pat Freiermuth were his options aside from George Pickens who was the only man in Pittsburgh. Calvin Austin was alright, but not for a second option wideout while Pat Freiermuth and Najee Harris seriously might be the slowest one two punch in the entirety of the NFL. Najee looks like he is running in quicksand whenever he takes a handoff. Freiermuth is a slow, serviceable tight end. With no skill players and an offensive line made up of draft busts and cheap free agents it was treacherous. It was tough to get Pickens the ball too because every opposing team had all their attention on only him. Now that Fields’ cast has been addressed we can dive into his six starts.
The first couple games were depressing in all honesty. The sputtering introduction to 2024 for the Steelers was a culmination of Horrendous gameplans, an inability to execute a single pass, and Arthur Smith’s classic play calling ability. Things were off to a rough start. Smith always commits to pounding the rock with multiple backs and dials up nothing in the passing game. Fields won the first two games in uninspiring fashion. It became a question if the Steelers would hold on to him around the media. Then he had a two game stretch of showing some juice. He played inspired ball in Week 3 against the Chargers with a clutch win against a playoff team where he was effective and efficient as a passer. There were still ugly sacks taken in the game and Fields wasn’t polished, but there were strides. After the 3-0 start in Week four the Colts vs Steelers would be puzzling. The Steelers were atrocious all game until the clock reached 5 minutes remaining in the third quarter. From there onwards Fields would make some spectacular plays with his arms and legs aside from two plays. These two plays largely decided the game. A 20 yard sack fumble taken by Fields in the third would not only take Pittsburgh out of Field Goal range, but hand the ball right to the Colts. With two unblocked edge rushers crashing down on him he retreated, fell to the ground, and lost the ball without being touched. A hideous play that lost three points. Then with two minutes in the fourth left the Steelers were starting to get a drive going down three points. They snap the football off of Fields’ facemask while he is not even looking for the ball resulting in a colossal loss of yardage to stifle the drive. The effort to rally in Indianapolis was thwarted. 27-24. Colts win a game the Steelers easily could’ve and should’ve had. The last two games of Fields’ Steelers tenure were more akin to the first two. An uphill slope. Fields finished his season with a 4-2 record after failing to reach 150 yards passing in his last two games. Tomlin then handed over the reins to Russell Wilson, never looking back. This offseason the Jets decided to bring Fields back into the fold after he was benched for the rest of Pittsburgh’s season.
Entering New York with a 2 year, $40 million contract with a $30 million guarantee is one last lifeline for Fields. The team and their new Head Coach Aaron Glenn have already said they’re committed to Fields starting, also indicating they would utilize him in a way unlike any other Jets QB in franchise history. The best guess by this statement would be that Fields' rushing ability will be his main focal point along with strategic rollouts and bootlegs off the play action game to create a real rhythm for Fields. So far his career with a couple ups and many downs has been defined by dreadful coaching and no personnel to work with. Garrett Wilson’s college connection with Fields could be colossal for his confidence. With offensive tackle Olu Fashanu breaking in for his second year and the draft coming up, maybe the Jets can create a unit to protect Justin, allowing him to thrive in the league. He’s only 26 years old. Fields’ play may swing like a Pendulum, but there’s a belief. Football fans either believe in Fields' tools as a player or that his fate is sealed and he never had what it took to make it in the NFL.
My assessment: Fields abandoned all mechanics in an effort to save himself from impending doom early in his career. His start in Chicago stunted his growth. Chicago is the place QB’s go to die. That’s been the case throughout history. Justin’s always flustered because he has faced so much pressure in the NFL from opposing defenses. Even when Fields isn’t under duress he plays like he is. This results in rushing plays, panicking, locking on reads, and missing open targets all because he loses focus and abandons mechanics to keep plays alive. His play might look way better if he had any offensive tackle play. Can the Jets protect him? Can Justin Fields beat you with his arm? Could there be any Jets fans left? So many questions. I could guarantee with certainty that Jets Owner Woody Johnson could not field a single question about the direction this organization is going in. A gamble on Fields with no expectations is just so incredibly enticing considering his ceiling. Woody Johnson has dragged the New York Jets through the mud for a long while now. He’s so bad at assembling a contender that he received an F grade from his own players when they were asked to evaluate the organization. Hang it up man!
