After a mostly up-and-down training camp so far, New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields gave the fans a glimpse of a potential future.
If football fans have learned anything from the past few NFL seasons, it’s that no quarterback is truly beyond redemption. Career journeyman Geno Smith joined the Seattle Seahawks in 2022 and won a Pro Bowl award. Baker Mayfield bounced from Cleveland to Carolina, L.A., and then Tampa Bay before winning back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2023 and 2024. Finally, Sam Darnold signed with the Vikings in 2024 and, you guessed it, ended the year as a Pro Bowler.
New York Jets fans are hoping that quarterback Justin Fields can undergo the same kind of career renaissance in 2025, and they may have just gotten a glimpse of that in training camp. Through the first week and a half since Jets players first reported for training camp (and finally got to see their epic new locker room), it was the typical rollercoaster ride from Fields. He started off with streaky play in practice before a toe injury sidelined him for two days.
But even after his return, it was still a lot of ups and downs for Fields with no sign of improvement. That changed on Friday when Fields dialed up his best performance to date in a Jets uniform, according to Jets insider Rich Cimini. This includes completing his first 12 passes of the day, including a beautiful touchdown to rookie tight end Mason Taylor.
🔙 to 🔙 to 🔙 days of a Mason Taylor TD pic.twitter.com/7n7rlEaPBk
— New York Jets (@nyjets) August 1, 2025
It wasn’t a perfect day. Fields struggled later on in redzone drills, but it’s important to remember that the defense is part of the team too, and New York’s defense has incredible talent on that side of the ball, most notably cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner. They can make life difficult for quarterbacks in those short yardage situations, especially their own quarterback.
QBs today: 🪣🪣🪣 pic.twitter.com/0joWI0PbBs
— New York Jets (@nyjets) August 1, 2025
Still, Friday’s practice was an impressive one for Fields and that’s got to be exciting for the fans. Success in 2025 depends in no small measure on Fields. If he can experience the kind of career turnaround that Darnold, Mayfield, or Geno saw in recent years, the Jets could very well be a dark horse contender. If he puts fans through a rollercoaster season as he did in Chicago and Pittsburgh, however, it could be another long year for Gang Green.
Category: Football
