Justin Fields sets lofty but laughable goals for himself before his first season with the Jets

Sometimes a player starts talking and you just want to tell them to stop.

Justin Fields has been doing the rounds with the New York media and for the most part has come across as a humble teammate and a good leader. The Jets coaches have been impressed with him in that regard so far.

Recently, during an appearance on The Official Jets Podcast Fields talked about his goals for his career going forward. A career that sees him on his third team in five years and a 14-30 record as a starter. And while what he said started out fine, he kept talking and wound up showing his immaturity.

“I think I can be a player who has no limits, a player who can help everyone around him better, a player who can lead a team, a player who can be that guy,” he said. “I know within myself I am that player, or I can get to that point, but I think it’s more for me showing everyone else and proving not only to myself but proving to the world.”

I’m with Justin so far. He thinks he can be great and help his teammates. He knows he isn’t there yet, which is nice to see. He also knows he needs to show it on the field and to the world. All of this is something I can get behind. But then he continued.

“You look at guys like Pat [Mahomes], you look at guys like Josh Allen, guys like Lamar [Jackson] where everyone knows they are elite quarterbacks,” Fields continued. “At the end of the day, that’s kind of my goal and that’s kind of where I want to get by the time I get done playing this sport.”

One of my favorite quotes comes from Teddy Roosevelt who said, “comparison is the thief of joy”. You can’t focus on what other do in order to find your own self-worth. Leaving aside the obvious that Fields will never be as good as any of those three players in my opinion, why would he set that goal for himself?

Go be the best version of Justin Fields. I don’t know what that is, and judging by his first comment, neither does he. But trying to put yourself in the stratosphere with some of the best the game has to offer is setting yourself up for failure. The NFL cut lists are filled with guys who tried to be someone else. Or “the next” version of some player that transcended the game.

It's almost funny to me when players who should be working towards getting better every day start putting their names along with the best in the game like they belong. Fields is likely on his last shot to be a starter in the league, and he is worried about being Mahomes, Allen or Jackson. To me, that shows a lack of awareness and an immaturity that is holding him back.

I want Justin Fields to succeed in the NFL, and more so, I want him to succeed with the Jets (even though I don’t think he will). But if he is defining success as Mahomes, Allen and Jackson, then I think he is a failure before the season begins.