Jets Blockbuster Deal Called 'Perfect' Signing

The New York Jets were linked to former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields for weeks before he ended up landing his two-year, $40 million deal.

New York clearly likely him and landed him shortly after the National Football League's legal tampering period opened on March 10th. The move made almost too much sense. The Jets opted for a significantly younger option at quarterback in Fields and he brings something different than Aaron Rodgers.

When Rodgers was young, his legs were a solid part of his game. But, he's 41 years old and was coming off an Achilles injury this past season. Fields is one of the best running quarterbacks in the league and also showed improvement as a passer in his small sample size with Pittsburgh in 2024. One thing that surely will help as well is the fact that he played college football with Garrett Wilson.

There was a lot of chatter about Wilson's future in New York and his possible dissatisfaction with Rodgers. The Jets not only added a quarterback with plenty of upside in Fields, but someone with a connection to Wilson.

New York's addition of Field has gotten plenty of praise across the league. The 33rd Team's Tyler Brooke gave the Jets an overall "B" grade for the offseason so far, but he did call Fields the "perfect" bridge quarterback option.

"New York Jets," Brooke said. "Grade: B. Most of the free agent moves for the New York Jets were departures, but that might ultimately be a good thing for a team trying to rebuild from the Aaron Rodgers era.

"The Jets cleared tons of future cap space by parting ways with multiple veterans, including Rodgers and Davante Adams. Meanwhile, the Jets found the perfect bridge quarterback with Justin Fields on a two-year deal to either prove he can be a long-term starter or do enough for the time being before the team takes a swing on a rookie."

At the very least, Fields has brought a lot of excitement to the Jets fanbase and it will be interesting to see what he can do next year with a real opportunity. The Steelers only gave him six starts last year and the Chicago Bears were a mess far before he got to town.