The New York Jets benched Justin Fields on Sunday, and while he may or may not make it back into the starting lineup, one thing is clear. His contract, a two-year deal, was a mistake. Fields is not an NFL-level quarterback, making it three straight failures by the Jets to pair their solid and sometimes spectacular defense with a competent quarterback. What can they do to fix things in the future?
How to Handle the 2025 QB Situation
The Jets probably need to lose as many games as possible from here on out. It would be pretty disappointing for the team to end up with a couple of wins and play themselves out of the number one pick, especially with the Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, and Tennessee Titans all in play for it as well.
But they’re not just going to tank. Fields probably still gives the Jets the best chance to win, even if he can’t throw it. He can run the ball pretty well, and Tyrod Taylor did nothing but throw two interceptions (to the same player) when he entered against the Carolina Panthers. For now, he should remain the starter with the expectation that Taylor will probably get put in and that the Jets just won’t have a competent offense this year. After seven games and with no real saviors available elsewhere (and the Jets don’t need to go all in to save an 0-7 start), they need to embrace the tank as best they can.
The Jets have been awful, but they haven’t been noncompetitive. They’ve lost a bunch of one-score games, so they’re bound to get some luck and avoid going 0-17, although winning too many games would be less than ideal. A good defensive day and a matchup with a subpar defense, coupled with Fields having a good rushing day, should equal a win or two at some point. Sorry, Jets fans, that’s the best it’s probably going to get this year.
Taylor is not a steep drop-off, so if Fields continues to be unable or unwilling to throw the ball down the field, he can come in. Say what you want, but Taylor tried to throw the ball deep to his receivers. When Garrett Wilson is healthy, that will work better. But either way, the Jets’ offensive ceiling is alarmingly low this year. They have to look to the future, though, and that means swallowing a dreadful season.
What the Jets Can Do in 2026 and Beyond
The 2026 QB class is a little underwhelming. It was billed as a major class full of franchise players, but the perceived top prospects have struggled. Cade Klubnik, Arch Manning, and Garrett Nussmeier all could’ve gone first overall, but they won’t sniff that range now. There are some who’ve stepped up, but the one-year wonder or lackluster career before breakout prospects are a risk. Still, the Jets have no choice but to take someone.
LaNorris Sellers might seem like the likely choice given his physical tools, but Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore are also candidates. None of the three has truly separated, so it’s hard to say now which one should be the pick. It’s also hard to say that any of them will be the wrong choice.
Regardless, the Jets cannot mess this up. They messed up in 2021 with Zach Wilson, although basically everyone except Trevor Lawrence, who is mostly average, from that vaunted class has not had a good go in the NFL, so it’s not entirely New York’s fault.
The solution is right in front of them, though. Let whatever prospect they get sit for at least half a year, if not the whole year. Generally speaking, that seems to work better with developing young quarterbacks. The Jets foolishly signed Fields to a two-year deal, but he can serve as the bridge in his second year. After that, it’s the young QB’s team, and he will have benefited from sitting for a little while. This also allows the Jets to get another top draft pick to fix their most glaring other issue aside from QB in 2027. That might be another weapon for said QB, but it might also be protection or something on defense. This is far from a foolproof plan, but it’s the best one the Jets have moving forward, and it’s the only one they can turn to now.
