The Jets wasted little time in free agency when they quickly signed quarterback Justin Fields and installed him in the driver's seat of the offense. And according to Jim Miller of SiriusXM, the move is likely to pay dividends for GM Darren Mougey and HC Aaron Glenn.
"People don't realize he does have a strong arm," Miller told team reporter Eric Allen on this week's edition of "The Official Jets Podcast." "I think he's very accurate down the field, but he just needs more polish as a passer. And I think if he was broken in the right way, because I personally, I work for the Bears [as a postgame studio analyst], I don't think they broke them in properly. I really don't. There were some steps that were missed in his development, but I think he's found his footing. And I think Justin understands, too. He's got to do a lot of it on his own, too. He's been kind of somewhat scarred from that, and he was more assertive as a Pittsburgh Steeler.
"And now, obviously, the Jets have had those discussions. I know they talk to coaches. Toughness and work ethic isn't a problem with Justin. He's been through some hard knocks. He's learned a couple of different offenses. He's had some success. He's had some failures as well. And now I think he understands the opportunity that's given him in New York."
Glenn said recently that he believes the Jets and OC Tanner Engstrand can get more out of Fields in the QB's third stop in the NFL after three seasons in Chicago (where the team went 10-28 with him as a starter) and last season in Pittsburgh (where he had a 4-2 record before being supplanted by Russell Wilson).
"I know Justin, obviously, intimately, because he was with the Bears," said Miller of Fields, who was drafted No. 11 overall out of Ohio State in 2021. "I think he's tough. I think his teammates respect him. I do question his preparation. I think he needs to prepare much better. But there was improvement from him on the move from the Bears to the Pittsburgh Steelers. There's no question he's a top tier talent. The guy's got great feet, he's very athletic. He's got a big arm."
With a stabilized offensive line that will return 4 of 5 starters (Olu Fashanu, John Simpson, Joe Tippmann and Alijah Vera-Tucker) from last season, a three-headed monster (Breece Hall, Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis) in the backfield and Fields' former teammate Garrett Wilson at wide receiver along with a couple of free agents (Josh Reynolds and Tyler Johnson, plus Allen Lazard and second-year man Malahi Corley) Miller said he believes the Green & White has "the pieces."
"They've got specialty players," said Miller, who co-hosts with Pat Kirwan on "Movin' the Chains" on the satellite network's NFL Radio channel. " So, I think if you focus on running the ball ... I think that needs to be an area of focus. They really need to tap into that more. And of course, that he can play off the bootlegs, things that Justin does really well with his legs, quarterback draws, where he can take advantage of his skill sets and utilize in more capacity to make plays and move the chains."
Miller said that Fields needs to hone his ability to process what he sees from an opposing defense and, at times, call his own plays.
"He never called an offensive play at Ohio State under Ryan Day," Miller said. "So he arrives with the Bears, and it was a problem getting in a huddle, calling the play. Because a lot of these college teams are running these RPOs, and they're looking over at the OC all the guys turn towards the sideline. The coach calls the play, and all he does is clap his hands. At least for C.J. Stroud, who came after Justin, Ryan Day acknowledged that that was a problem. So they had call out days where C.J. Stroud had to call plays and he had much more success down in Houston as a rookie [where he was the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year].
"It took Justin probably his first year for the Bears, probably three quarters of the season, to finally get comfortable doing that. And again, you're asking a young man to lead men. You know, there's a lot of grown men there and here, and for him to call play, it was a struggle. He's beyond that. Now he's grown so much from that standpoint that he's beyond that, and he's just much more prepared with where he's at."
For NFL, Things Looking Up Down Under
The NFL will play seven games abroad this season, with the Jets returning to England for the second straight year, this time as the host of a game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London. Other than a game in São Paulo, Brazil, the other games will be played in Europe (England, Ireland, Spain and Germany).
That will change in 2026 when the NFL's first-ever regular season game will be played in Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
"More folks around the world are playing American football than ever before," said Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports on "The Official Jets Podcast." "There's a reason that the NFL has invested so much in flag football. Now you're going to get flag football in the [Los Angeles] Olympics in 2028 and I mentioned that because in 2032 you have the Olympics in [Brisbane] Australia. That is a continent, a country that the league has spent an incredible amount of resources on. I know we all kind of focus on the UK, and rightly so, but Australia is probably number two in terms of other markets. And so that's by design."
The sports-mad country/continent boasts leagues in rugby, Aussie Rules Football and soccer (all close cousins of the American game) and in recent years has sent a good number of players to the NFL, like Eagles' OT Jordan Mailata and a slew of punters. With the increase of international games, Jones said an 18th regular season game could be in play down the road.
"The most expedient way to that is adding an 18th game, which would add a second bye week," Jones said. "So now you can do a whole lot more with the schedule, right? Let's just call that 18th game an international game. You still have the 32 teams, and so there's 16 games wherever they're going to be played. If you're playing in an Abu Dhabi, if you're playing in an Australia, you probably have to get that bye week after if you are playing. In London, a lot of teams now have to go right through that. And so, the league has done a crawl, walk, jog, run, and that's how they like to go about things. And so when it comes to international expansion, I think that we are in the walk to jogging phase."
