Analyst criticizes Jets for questionable draft decision

The New York Jets signed Justin Fields to a two-year, $40M contract in free agency and then seemingly committed to him as their 2025 Week 1 starting quarterback when they didn't select a QB during the NFL Draft. 

For an article published on Thursday, ESPN's Aaron Schatz suggested the Jets should've at least taken a flier on a quarterback during the draft's second or third day.

"There is a possibility that free agent pickup Justin Fields will finally fulfill his NFL potential in his fifth season," Schatz wrote. "But those odds are long. Fields had his best season in 2024 with a 50.8 QBR, but it came in a six-game sample. And that QBR would have ranked 23rd in the NFL if he had thrown enough passes to qualify. That's better than what the Jets got from Aaron Rodgers last season, but it still isn't good, and there is no guarantee Fields can match or improve on it."

In early 2024, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic noted that specific stats indicated that Fields was one of the league's worst fourth-quarter quarterbacks across the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The Chicago Bears traded the 2021 first-round choice to the Pittsburgh Steelers in March 2024, and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin later benched Fields this past fall, even though the 26-year-old went 4-2 as a starter. 

It's possible the Jets would've drafted Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough at pick No. 42 after Gang Green took Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou at choice No. 7. However, the New Orleans Saints selected Shough at pick No. 40. 

Meanwhile, numerous stories linked the Jets with Colorado's Shedeur Sanders long before he dropped to the draft's fifth round. The Jets had four opportunities to acquire Sanders before the Cleveland Browns took him at pick No. 144, but instead bolstered other positions with their draft assets. 

Regardless of how poorly Sanders handled the predraft process, few would've blamed the Jets for taking him with the 130th pick. First-year general manager Darren Mougey and rookie head coach Aaron Glenn went in a different direction, but one wonders if they'll spend next offseason searching for Fields' replacement.