His contract indicated as much.
But Jets general manager Darren Mougey made it official on Sunday. Justin Fields is New York's starting quarterback heading into next season. He won't face competition for the job from backup Tyrod Taylor or anybody else.
"He is the starter," Mougey told reporters at a news conference on Sunday. "But Tyrod is going to be on his heels. Tyrod’s a pro’s pro. So really, it’s gonna be a great asset for Justin in the quarterback room.
"Tyrod’s been around the league for a long time. He knows what it takes to prepare and prep for this league and be ready to play."
Fields joined the Jets this offseason as a free agent from the Pittsburgh Steelers on a two-year, $40 million contract with $30 million guaranteed. It's not a quarterback contract that breaks the bank. But it's not the kind of money that's paid to a backup.
But his backup is Tyrod Taylor, a 14-season NFL veteran with 58 starts as one of the most experienced backups in the league. If any backup is going to compete for a job held by a borderline starter, it's Taylor. But, per Mougey, Taylor won't compete for the job in training camp.
But if Fields slips up once the games are real, Taylor will be right there behind him. Just in case.
Mougey reiterated that Fields is the starter when asked if he believes that the former first-round pick by the Chicago Bears has remaining untapped potential as he approaches his fifth NFL season.
"We believe Justin is the starter,” Mougey said. "We believe in Justin. We believe we can win with Justin, so we're excited about Justin’s potential.”
Fields has played 50 games including 44 starts in the NFL. The Bears gave up on him and traded him to the Steelers when they faced the chance to draft Caleb Williams. Fields played in 10 games including six starts last season as the backup to Russell Wilson, who missed multiple games due to injury.
He played well enough in Pittsburgh for the Jets to sign him as their starter for next season.
But is he New York's ...
