Jets' Justin Fields shares admission about struggles amid calls for QB change

For better or for worse, first-year New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn made it clear on multiple occasions that he will start struggling quarterback Justin Fields when the 0-6 Jets host the Carolina Panthers (3-3) this coming Sunday. 

While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Fields acknowledged he needs to embrace a mindset change if he wants to remain in the starting lineup beyond the afternoon of Oct. 19. 

Will Justin Fields be more "aggressive" vs. Panthers? 

"I feel like I've been a little bit too conservative in a sense," Fields explained, per Rich Cimini of ESPN. "Probably just [need to] be a little bit more aggressive. I've always just been big on ball security and not putting the ball in jeopardy, but it comes to a point where you just have to find that healthy balance between trying to maybe fit it in smaller windows and just letting it rip." 

Fields likely has little to lose in "letting it rip," as any hope that the 26-year-old would show drastic improvements as a passer this fall has all but evaporated before Halloween. ESPN stats show that Fields began Wednesday ranked 29th out of 33 qualified players with a 36.5 adjusted QBR on the season. While he tossed no interceptions over his first five games with Gang Green, he tallied only seven total touchdowns (four passing, three rushing) across those outings. Meanwhile, the Jets ended Week 6 ranked 25th in the league with an average of 20.5 points scored per game.

What is Justin Fields struggling with as Jets QB?

Fields passed for 45 yards and took nine sacks in the Jets' 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 6. Following that performance, Hall of Famer Kurt Warner spoke with Brian Costello of the New York Post (h/t NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) about why Fields continues to look like the below-average passer he was with the Chicago Bears from 2021-23.

"You see moments, but the biggest thing is he just hasn’t gotten acclimated to the speed of processing at the NFL level, in my opinion. That always hurts him when he’s got to play in the pocket consistently," Warner said about Fields. 

As of Thursday morning, ESPN BET had the Jets as 1.5-point underdogs against the Panthers. The MetLife Stadium crowd will almost certainly make their unhappiness known if the Jets fail to tally an offensive touchdown early in the Week 7 contest. How Fields handles such reactions could determine whether or not he ends the game as the Jets QB1.