Position Reset for '25
The Jets will have a younger roster in 2025 and the position group that will see the most significant sea change is quarterback. While Aaron Rodgers was 40 when the 2024 season opened, the Jets' new starter Justin Fields is 26. Fields, who is on his third team in five pro seasons, will be backed up by seasoned veteran Tyrod Taylor, 35. First-year pro Adrian Martinez and rookie Brady Cook, an undrafted free agent signee, will compete for snaps at the No. 3 spot.
Fields tested free agency in March and quickly reached an agreement on a new deal with the Green & White. The dual threat QB set career highs in Pittsburgh last season with a 66% completion percentage and 93.9 passer rating while going 4-2 as a starter and totaling 10 TDs against just 2 turnovers.
"He's a very, very diligent worker," said QB coach Charles London of Fields. "He comes in, asks great questions, takes great notes. He just wants to be able to play the quarterback position and he's been great about it. And the room's great overall. I tell these guys all the time, the quarterback room has to be competitive but not combative. We have to push each other every day to get better and regardless of who's in there, we've got to support each other. And I think the room's done a great job of that and everything that I thought I knew about Justin and got to know him a little bit during the draft process a few years ago. He's just confirmed it when he got here."
| Jets QB | '24 Team | Exper in '25 | '24 GP-GS-DNP-IA | '24 O-ST-TotSnaps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Fields | PIT | 5th | 10 - 6 - 4 - 3 | 408 - 0 - 408 |
| Tyrod Taylor | NYJ | 15th | 2 - 0 - 15 - 0 | 36- 0 - 36 |
| Adrian Martinez | NYJ | 1st | 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 | 0 - 0 - 0 |
| Brady Cook | Michigan | R | .......... | .......... |
Storyline to Watch
Selected No. 11 overall by the Bears in the 2021 NFL Draft, Justin Fields will work this summer with his fourth offensive coordinator in Tanner Engstrand. Serving on the Lions' offensive staff from 2020-24, Engstrand was Detroit's passing came coordinator the past two seasons.
"He is just a talented individual on all facets," Engstrand said of Fields. "He's obviously a physically talented player. Everybody talks about the running, well, the guy's got an arm, too, and he does a great job with that. And mentally, he's phenomenal. He's been absolutely phenomenal so far, and we expect more out of that, and it's just a lot of things that you can do with that type of player that is going to put stress on a defense and make that defensive coordinator stay up late at night as we get going into this thing."
During OTAs, Engstrand installed the new system and emphasized the learning process for Fields.
"Get him to understand the concepts, get him to understand the progressions, get him to play fast, get him to play on time and in rhythm," he said. "And then when things break down, he's got those things, you know, that he can rely on when things aren't exactly the way we want it to be. In addition, he's got the legs, so that does show up in the run game to some degree as well."
While Fields has been reunited with former Ohio State teammate WR Garrett Wilson, he will work this summer in the new system while using a new language and throwing to new personnel. But after a full spring in Florham Park, it will be interesting to see how quickly the offense can progress in camp.
"We're just getting a lot thrown at us right now, so of course getting a grasp on that," Fields said during OTAs. "Knowing that in and out and of course getting on the same page as guys that are running certain routes, different routes, that I've never thrown before, and just kind of doing that. So, I think that's been the biggest thing, but getting a full grasp of the offense since it's new, and like I said, it's been a lot, and then also getting on the same page as my receivers, tight ends, and running backs.
What They're Saying
Jets HC Aaron Glenn on QB Justin Fields
"He has this quiet confidence about himself. He leads by the way that he wants to lead. His influence with the guys out there, I think you guys can see it. He can galvanize a group of men. Obviously, he's a talented player and I'm happy that I have him as my quarterback, I really am, because I think the sky's the limit for this player, I really do. I'm not going to go out there and say that he's the next Joe Namath or anything like that, but I will tell you what, he's going to be a good player for us, and I'm excited with what he's going to do for us this season."
QB Trivia
Justin Fields has been one of the NFL's most mobile quarterbacks since his arrival, with 1,143 rushing yards in 2022, a 178-yard rushing game against Miami that season that holds the NFL record for most rush yards by a QB in a regular-season game, and a career average of 6.00 yards/carry, trailing only the Ravens' Lamar Jackson at 6.14 among QBs the past four seasons.
