Garrett Wilson obtained used to teammates approaching him within the Jets locker room this spring to speak 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,” stated Wilson, who performed 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 profitable over his new Jets teammates and establishing himself as a frontrunner. It comes with the job description of being an NFL quarterback, and Fields is aware of 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 stated.
However Fields is a a lot totally different chief than Aaron Rodgers, his predecessor on the place. Coach Aaron Glenn has praised the “quiet confidence” Fields initiatives. There was nothing quiet about Rodgers.
“I take to him because he is authentic and he’s himself,” Glenn stated 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 gamers are usually not outwardly evaluating Fields and Rodgers, however one thing operating again Breece Corridor stated this spring stood out. He talked about Fields’ age (26) and the way that helps him relate to his teammates. Rodgers was the oldest participant within the NFL final yr and is now 41.
“You know, he gets hyped like everybody else,” Corridor stated 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 actions along with his teammates to get to know them this spring and has embraced that a part of the job. Nobody will care, after all, if he doesn’t play properly this season, however the Jets have been inspired by what they noticed from Fields this spring.
The workforce determined to signal him to a two-year, $40 million contract hoping they will witness him flip his profession round in a Jets uniform.
There have been encouraging indicators over the previous two years. In his previous 13 video games — six with the Steelers final yr and 7 with the Bears in 2023 — Fields has accomplished 63.3 p.c of his passes and thrown 10 touchdowns and simply 4 interceptions. He has run 132 occasions for 651 yards and eight touchdowns in that span.
“It’s just growth,” Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand stated. “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 finish Jeremy Ruckert additionally performed with Fields at Ohio State. He stated Fields has the best make-up to thrive right 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 stated. “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.”
