How Steelers Transformed Jets QB Justin Fields

The 2025 season certainly will be a different opportunity for New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields.

He was selected with the No. 11 pick in the 2021 National Football League Draft by the Chicago Bears. At that time, the Bears were in a difficult position and although Fields showed progress and potential in his three years in Chicago, things didn't work out.

The Bears moved on and turned to Caleb Williams instead. The Pittsburgh Steelers brought Fields to town last year along with 10-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson. The two had a quarterback competition in training camp, but Wilson went down with an injury that opened the door for Fields. He started the first six games of the season and went 4-2 and then turned the reins over to Wilson once he was healthy.

It was a different experience from Chicago. That first year as a rookie, Fields played 12 games and started 10 of them. He had to learn on the fly after Andy Dalton got hurt and was thrown in but last season was the first real chance to sit back and learn from one of the top quarterbacks in recent memory in Wilson. He opened up about the process recently in an interview with Kay Adams on "Up & Adams."

"Last year was something I've never experienced throughout my life," Fields said. "I think it changed my perspective a little bit. I learned a lot from (Wilson). I learned a lot from just being over there in general so like I said, I'm thankful for my time over there and I think I did need to see and take a step back and see from a different perspective. Not only football, but life in general so last year was definitely good to me...

"It just kind of reminded me of the players in the locker room and you can't really explain it. The swagger, the confidence that everybody has. Just that mindset going into each game that you've put in the work and now it's time to go out there and dominate at the end of the day. It kind of reminded me of that and just being in that winning culture. I'm glad I got to spend that time over there and now I'm over here trying to implement the same thing over here."

Now, Fields is the guy for New York. He is entering the season as the Jets' undisputed starter and is just 26 yers old. Over the last few years, we have seen a handful of former top prospect quarterbacks thrive elsewhere, especially after taking a seat and resetting. Three examples that pop up right away are Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and Geno Smith. We've seen this story before. Now, it's going to be interesting if Fields can follow this mold and transform his career now in New York.