Justin Fields decided to leave the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason for the New York Jets as a free agent, but he's insisting it was not personal.
Fields, 26, signed a two-year deal in New York during free agency. General manager Darren Mougey has already named him the starting quarterback.
That's a change from his time in Pittsburgh.
Despite having a winning record at 4-2 last year, Fields was replaced in the lineup by veteran Russell Wilson when he was healthy. While Pittsburgh reportedly still had interest in keeping Fields this offseason, he chose the Jets over the Steelers.
While a starting job was guaranteed in New York and Pittsburgh previously benched him, those did not play a part according to Fields. The QB claimed that during his first press conference since joining his new team:
Justin Fields said the Steelers benching him didn't really factor into his decision:
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) April 9, 2025
"Not really. You can't take things personal ... at the end of the day I was just excited about what the #Jets had going on here. It didn't have anything to do with Pittsburgh but the…
It remains to be seen if Fields finds his footing in the NFL in New York. Fields was a top draft pick of the Chicago Bears and moved to the Pittsburgh Steelers last season but he still hasn't had a breakout campaign.
If Fields can do that with the Jets, head coach Aaron Glenn certainly won't be mad.
"I've played against Justin quite a bit," Glenn said. "He created some damage."
Along with his 4-2 record, Fields had 1,106 passing yards, a 65.8 completion percentage with five touchdown passes and one interception last season. On the ground, Fields had 289 yards and five more scores.
Jets Wire will continue to provide updates throughout the 2025 offseason.
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Jets' Justin Fields reflects on Steelers benching, choosing to leave
