When the Jets made the move to sign free agent quarterback Justin Fields, two things were made clear based on the makeup of his contract. First, with only a two-year deal, it was clear that this is still a prove-it contract for the young passer. Second, the $30MM of guaranteed money at signing for the $40MM deal indicated an expectation that Fields will be the starter throughout the duration of the contract. 
This past weekend at the annual league meetings, new Jets general manager Darren Mougey confirmed that second point. According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Mougey made it clear that Fields is QB1 for the 2025 NFL season.
“We believe Justin is the starter,” Mougey told the media. “We believe in Justin. We believe we can win with Justin, so we’re excited about Justin.”
Fields, drafted 11th overall in 2021 by the Bears, had a rough start to his career in Chicago. The Ohio State product started his rookie season coming off the bench behind veteran Andy Dalton. A knee injury to Dalton forced Fields into action in Week 2. Fields led the team to a win in relief but went 2-6 in the first eight starts of his career. A rib injury led him to miss two games before losing his next two starts, and an ankle injury forced him out for the rest of the year. In his rookie season, Fields went 2-8 as a starter, throwing only seven touchdowns to 10 interceptions while adding two more scores on the ground.
In his sophomore campaign, as a full-time starter, Fields showed significant improvement statistically. While his team finished 3-12 in his 15 starts, Fields improved his passing numbers with 17 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. He broke out as a rusher, too, with 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns, but he led the NFL with 16 fumbles. In 2023, Fields once again worked as a full-time starter, though he missed four games with a dislocated shoulder and thumb. The Bears improved to 5-8 with Fields as the starter, and Fields was able to record career-high passing numbers despite playing two fewer games than 2022. He rushed much less as a result, though.
2024 saw Fields traded to Pittsburgh where he soon began competing with Russell Wilson for the starting job. It was announced prior to the start of the year that Wilson had won the starting job, but a calf injury forced Fields into the starting role for the first six weeks of the season. Fields played some of the best football of his career as a Steeler, completing 65.8 percent of his passes for 1,106 yards while throwing five touchdowns to only one interception in six games. He also rushed for 289 yards and five touchdowns during his time with the Steelers.
The Jets will hope to see Fields continue in his year-to-year improvement. In Year 5, Fields will be suiting up for his third NFL team. While the running backs group mostly looks the same, the Jets have lost some pieces in their passing and blocking game. With the draft and spring ball coming up, New York still has time to add bodies.
With Fields in place as the starter, and a reliable backup in place in Tyrod Taylor, the Jets should feel good about their quarterbacks roster. If there were any doubt in Fields being an effective starter, it would make sense to see New York go for a quarterback fairly early in the draft, in the hopes of developing him into the future leader of the offense should Fields falter. While it still makes sense for the team to take a flyer on a young passer, that draft pick would likely be coming on Day 2 or 3. With a fairly deep group of passing prospects, the Jets should have plenty of options.