Darren Mougey was busy in his first offseason as the Jets' general manager, and according to Bleacher Report, no move he made was bigger than the signing of QB Justin Fields.
The sports and pop culture website named the Fields signing with the Green & White as the fifth-best move of the offseason.
"Why the Pittsburgh Steelers stubbornly refused to turn back to Fields last year even when the team faltered late is a mystery right up there with Stonehenge and those Easter Island heads," B/R's Gary Davenport wrote. "Fields has his flaws, but he's also still just 26 years old and one of the NFL's most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks. Getting even an average NFL starter for $20 million a season is a felony in 11 states."
Fields, entering his fifth NFL season, spent last season with the Steelers. He played in 10 games and went 4-2 as a starter, throwing for 1,106 yards, 5 TDs and 1 interception.
For his career, Fields has played in 50 games (44 starts), thrown 45 touchdowns and added 19 rushing scores.
ESPN shared Bleacher Report's affinity for the Fields signing, listing the addition as one of its their 10 favorite moves of the offseason.
"The hope for Fields is that the Jets lean into his strengths in the QB run game, which the Bears didn't really do," according to ESPN's senior NFL writer Bill Barnwell . "Will new Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand build an offense that consistently plays to Fields' strengths? Engstrand had been with the Lions since 2020, seeing up close how coordinator Ben Johnson elevated Detroit's offense."
In 2022, as a member of the Bears, Fields finished ninth in MVP voting. He rushed for 1,143 yards and 8 touchdowns in 15 games.
Fields will also team up with his former Buckeyes partner WR Garrett Wilson in New York. At Ohio State in 2019 and 2020, Fields and Wilson connected on 66 receptions for 1,031 yards and 9 touchdowns over 22 games.
"The Jets used their first-round pick on tackle Armand Membou and made an affordable addition on the interior in former Packers center Josh Myers," Barnwell wrote. "There's a legitimate No. 1 wideout here in Garrett Wilson. If it's ever going to happen for the 26-year-old Fields, now's the time."
