Justin Fields Won't Be Jets QB For Long, Unless This Happens

Mougey, Glenn and the rest of the football universe know what’s about to hit the NFL in April 2026 —  a loaded class of rookie quarterbacks.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper thinks that as many as six QBs will go in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft, and that’s assuming Arch Manning stays at Texas for another season.

“We've seen six quarterbacks selected in Round 1 only twice in the common draft era (since 1967),” Kiper wrote.

“The first was in 1983, a few years after I began evaluating prospects. … The second time came more than 40 years later in 2024 … I think the position could boom again in 2026 -- with or without Texas' Arch Manning.”

“Here are some names to watch as potential first-rounders,” Kiper continued, “in no particular order: LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina), Drew Allar (Penn State), Cade Klubnik (Clemson), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), Sam Leavitt (Arizona State), Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) and Nico Iamaleava (UCLA). That's seven guys, and Manning makes eight. I'd bet six of them go in the first 32 picks.”

2026 QB class puts pressure on Fields to deliver

With so much QB talent in the upcoming draft, you have to think that Mougey will look to snag one of the names mentioned by Kiper. In other words, Fields isn’t facing any competition inside New York’s QB room, but he has plenty of competition playing college football right now. 

There is a world, however, in which Fields performs so surprisingly well that Mougey and Glenn have no choice but to consider him a strong option moving forward beyond 2027. This would look something like Fields significantly improving upon his production from previous years while also limiting his turnovers and, generally speaking, showing vast growth as a pocket passer. Oh yeah, and the Jets would need to win more games than they’re expected to under Fields … something hovering around a .500 record or better.

If all of that came true over the next 12-24 months, Fields could reverse the narrative that he’s a “bridge” and make the Jets less interested in the draft situation, and more interested in tying the knot with Fields as their QB of the future, which would come with another contract.

Fields would have to be a Pro Bowl-type performer for this all to happen. He’d need to play in a way that proves a lot of people wrong and makes the Pittsburgh Steelers look silly for not prioritizing him last year. 

It’s a high bar for Fields, and one that he’s unlikely to hit, but stranger things have happened at the QB position in this league.