Jets Mailbag: Is Justin Fields the unquestioned starting quarterback?

The Jets are the NFL’s offseason champs no more

Major free-agent signings and trades have been a staple of New York’s offseasons as they tried to band-aid fix so many of their fundamental issues. Unsurprisingly, it never worked. The Jets are in the midst of a 14-year playoff drought for that reason (among others).

That’s what made this offseason so unique. There were no real splashy signings. There were no groundbreaking trades. The Jets made smart, reasonable signings in a free agent class most around the NFL deemed weak. Clearly, GM Darren Mougey wants to build this through the draft.

There’s not that much to debate as a result, but there’s still plenty to talk about. We figured now would be a good time to open up the mailbag and address your thoughts on the state of the Jets.

Is Justin Fields the unquestioned starting quarterback? - @israeldms7

The Jets didn’t sign Justin Fields to have him ride the bench. This is a bit of a transitional year, yes, but he’s their lottery ticket. They knew they needed a quarterback. Fields had the most upside of any available with little financial fallback. You might just find a Sam Darnold, Geno Smith-like resurgence if Tanner Engstrand can find a way to speed up Fields’ processing and marry the mental part of the game with his physical attributes. You move on after the year if those things don’t happen.

While Fields won’t have to win the job, per se, that doesn’t mean he can’t lose it. If he doesn’t fit in with Engstrand, or struggles mightily in camp or early in the season, I’d expect the Jets to turn to Tyrod Taylor. There is an immense amount of respect for Taylor within the Jets locker room – he received captaincy votes as Aaron Rodgers' backup a year ago. The Jets won’t ride Fields into the ground if it’s not working.

Why didn’t the Jets take the full Aaron Rodgers cap hit this year? - @BigDogz1318

Difference of opinion. Personally, I would have. Take it on the chin this year and come out completely free next. The Jets simply chose to break it up to have more flexibility this season. The cap is expected to increase another $20-or-so million next year. So that $35 million penalty won’t feel as bad as it looks at the moment.

The Jets can also structure the contracts of free agents they sign next season to take the brunt of the cap hits in future years when Rodgers’ deal is off the books.

Do you expect the Jets to explore trading Jordan Travis? - @Chris7Gallagher

They could look into it, but what exactly is the return?

The Jets selected Travis in the fifth round last year when most felt he’d be on the practice field at some point in August. He then had a setback (per Jeff Ulbrich), which resulted in him not taking a single rep in any drill all of 2024. He threw some on air, but he was on the PUP list the entire season. It’s highly unlikely teams trade for someone like that. This team is best off trying to develop him.

Do you think the Jets other needs make selecting a project quarterback unlikely? - @MLSSZN2

Absolutely not. In all likelihood, the Jets franchise quarterback is not on their roster.  They need to find him. If they evaluate anyone in this class and believe they have that potential … take him. Shedeur Sanders or Jaxson Dart, or Jalen Milroe, or Will Howard.

The Jets current roster structure actually affords them a much better situation to do so. They have Fields and Taylor. There is no rush to force a young quarterback to play before he’s ready. He can sit a full year and develop. The only downside would be keeping three quarterbacks on the 53. But, again, if you believe in the player: That doesn’t matter.

Is there a world where the Jets can afford to pay their entire 2022 draft class? - @Jodomart 

It’s absolutely possible. There’s no rush in paying all of them at this moment, though. Receiver Garrett Wilson and corner Sauce Gardner are the two that should receive early extensions. Those talks haven’t taken place yet, but I’d expect them to soon.

The Jets plan was to get through free agency and a chunk of their draft prep, then get to talking to the two’s representatives. Gardner, in my opinion, is the easier negotiation. He’ll become the new highest-paid cornerback. Wilson is a bit more of a challenge. The Jets and Wilson need to come to an agreement on where they view him amongst the receiver hierarchy.

Breece Hall and Jermaine Johnson will likely play out this year. The Jets can then reassess. The team still has Johnson’s fifth-year option they can pick up. The franchise tag is in play with Hall. They likely need to see a little more before they commit to either long-term. Hall hasn’t yet run for 1,000 yards in a season. Last year something just looked… off. It doesn’t make sense to pay him yet. Johnson is coming off a major injury. You need to see how he responds from that Achilles.