Four years after Justin Fields was selected in the first round draft pick, we will finally have the opportunity to recognize his potential as a superstar – by potentially upgrading his mud-filled Jets offense at the quarterback four times last season at quarterback.
I’m not proposing a field that will be joining the jet plane on a two-year, $40 million deal ($30 million guarantee) to mark the arrival of the Aaron Glenn era. However, the 6-foot-3, 227-pounder can potentially serve as a explosive offensive weapon for New York. The Jets could emerge as heavyweight, with the field leading the charge as a creative new coordinator tapping on a note edited throughout his time with the Detroit Lions.
Now I know that the offseason is creating “hype bunnies” that routinely order attention as Marquee’s free agent signer. However, the optimism surrounding the field is deeper than that, rooted in the perfect marriage of quarterbacks, head coaches and teams.
Former Lions defensive coordinator Glenn certainly knows which field has the ability after returning to NFC North and terrorizing former Bears QB. In four matches between 2022 and 2023 between Glenn and Detroit, Fields posted three 100-yard rushing games for Chicago, recording a 5:2 touchdown and interception ratio as a passerby. As an explosive dual threat with MLB arm talent and Pro Bowl Caliver running skills, Fields scares Bezès from a defensive coordinator tasked with defending elite athletes at quarterback.
Last season, Fields was traded for Pittsburgh, where he was putting together a solid bounceback campaign until Russell Wilson was given a surprise bench that dampened things. Previously, the field flashed well with limited action, suggesting that it could thrive in its management role in New York. As a point guard for the conservative Steelers offensive, relying on run games and intense defenses to win, Fields recorded a 4-2 record with a career-high mark in completion rate (65.8%), passerby rating (93.3) and interception rate (0.6%). His ability to play winning football as an athletic game manager concludes with the way the Jets appear to operate under Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, working on Glenn and the Lions staff.
To gain an insulting sense of Engstrand’s philosophy, consider how he spoke last June of the Lions he still worked in Detroit:
“We’re talking about being a physical, detailed soccer team,” Engstrand said. “My legs are now hardened. It’s not something alien to me when I get here, but if there’s something to go into cement – that’s all, that’s really what I believe in. Explosive plays – Explosive plays and the importance of it.
