Jets Blockbuster Has Turned Heads Across NFL

Once the New York Jets announced that the were moving on from Aaron Rodgers, the biggest talking point across the National Football League was who was going to be the next guy in town.

A handful of different options were speculated about, but New York ultimately got its guy in the form of Justin Fields on a two-year, $40 million deal. The deal has been almost universally praised. Fields was arguably the most interesting quarterback of the offseason in free agency due to his age and upside and New York was able to reunite him with Garrett Wilson after the two played college football together.

New York continues to get praise for the move as Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano shared a column in which they discussed the best and worst-value deals of the offseason. Unsurprisingly, Fields' deal fell in the better category.

"Justin Fields, QB, New York Jets (two years, $40 million)," Manzano said. "Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold and Derek Carr all have contracts that average more than $33 million per year. That’s a lot more than Fields’s deal with the Jets. Yes, he’s an inconsistent passer, but the same can be said for most quarterbacks who aren’t in the top tier of the position, including the erratic trio named above. But one thing’s for sure about Fields: He’s an electrifying athlete who can make plays with his arm and legs.

"Fields helped the Pittsburgh Steelers start 4–2 last year with a run-heavy offense and had a productive downfield connection with DJ Moore during his final season with the Chicago Bears. If the Jets can take elements from the Steelers’ and Bears’ offenses, Fields could have a breakout season while helping Garrett Wilson re-establish himself as one of the best wide receivers in the league after two years of chaos with Aaron Rodgers and Zach Wilson."

Fields arguably looked the best he's ever looked in his young NFL career last year in a small sample size with Pittsburgh. If the Jets can get that type of performance out of him, they should have more than five wins in 2025.