Justin Fields’ first start for his new team could be historic, and the former Chicago Bears quarterback could face a familiar foe in Aaron Rodgers.
Fields, the No. 11 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, is on his third NFL team. He signed with the New York Jets in free agency after one year with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Should he maintain his projected role as the Jets’ QB1, he could face his predecessor in Week 1.
Moreover, that meeting would be against his former team.
Justin Fields Heading for Potentially Historic Showdown vs Former Bears Nemesis
Ex-Bears QB Justin Fields Could Renew Rivalry With Aaron Rodgers
“If Aaron Rodgers signs with the Pittsburgh Steelers, as many expect, the Rodgers-Justin Fields matchup will be the first season-opening game between starting quarterbacks who swapped teams they started for the previous year, per ESPN Research,” ESPN’s Rich Cimini wrote on June 1.
The biggest hurdle to the matchup remains Rodgers’ remaining a free agent despite the expectations.
Fields said that he did not have much of a reaction to seeing the Steelers on the schedule.
Fields completed a career-high 65.8% of his passes for 1,106 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 1 interception in 10 games (six starts) with the Steelers in 2024. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was a Fields fan before the Bears traded him to Pittsburgh.
However, the veteran had coach, Tomlin, turned back to Russell Wilson, who was the team’s starter but suffered a calf injury during the preseason, once the now 10-time Pro Bowler was healthy.
In the Jets, Fields has a clear path to the starting job.
The only other quarterbacks on the Jets’ roster are Tyrod Taylor, Adrian Martinez, and Brady Cook. Fields inked a two-year, $40 million contract, and the Jets did not draft a quarterback this year.
The value and the structure of the deal – there are no true outs on the deal with deal money attached, even in a post-June 1 cut, and void years tacked on after the agreement expires.
Then, Fields will cost the Jets $9 million unless they reach a new agreement beforehand.
Fields and the Bears lost all four meetings with Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. The Steelers beat Rodgers’ Jets in Week 7 last season, but with Wilson at QB. So, this would be their first meeting with both in their first year as starters under a new head coach.
Justin Fields ‘Can Be Great’ With Jets
Fields, who wanted to be traded to the Steelers once it became clear the Bears were moving on, believes his best is yet to come and that he can show it with the Jets.
“I think I can be great,” Fields told reporters on May 29. “That’s been the goal for me my whole life, my whole career.
“I think the sky is the limit for this team, for this offense. But we do have a long way to go. Like I said, our offense and defense are new. So, guys are really tuned in, and locked in, and trying to get everything down. But I think once we do, I think the sky’s the limit. We have all the guys we need. We have all the talent. So, it’s really just going to come down to discipline and execution when the games come.”
“Just my confidence in myself. At the end of the day, it’s really not up to the scheme. Of course, they’re going to do their best to scheme it up. But coaches aren’t going to call perfect plays every play. So, they always say, ‘It’s up to the players to make plays when we need them the most.’ So, it’s not necessarily in the scheme or anything like that. But when it’s time to make those plays in the game, when it’s time to make something happen, that’s what I’m going to do, and that’s what the guys around me are going to do as well,” Fields said of his confidence.
“Defense, offense, scheme really doesn’t matter. It’s really just that mentality that you have going into the game, going in every day in practice, and just making a deposit every day, and getting better each and every day.”