The Pittsburgh Steelers wanted to re-sign Justin Fields, but the New York Jets were willing to offer more. They signed him to a two-year, $40 million contract, of which $30 million is fully guaranteed. The Steelers very rarely hand out second-year guarantees, and apparently did not offer such a deal to Fields.
That may or may not be the only reason Fields left the Steelers for the Jets, but I’m sure it was one reason. Another reason may be that he has a clearer, less ambiguous path to starting in New York. No team is going to offer him absolute certainty, however, as the Jets’ general manager showed yesterday.
Asked if the Jets brought in Justin Fields to start, GM Doug Mougey said yesterday at the annual league meetings, “He is the starter, but Tyrod [Taylor]’s gonna be right on his heels. And Tyrod’s a pro’s pro”, via the team’s YouTube channel. “It’s gonna be a great asset for Justin and the quarterback room. Tyrod’s been around the league for a long time. He knows what it takes to prepare for this league and be ready to play”.
Technically, he did say Fields is the Jets’ starter, but having somebody right on your heels sounds an awful lot like being in pole position. That is the terminology Steelers HC Mike Tomlin used to describe their quarterback situation last year.
One wonders what the Jets told Fields when they signed him, and if that conflicts with Mougey’s comments. Granted, they only signed him to a contract with $30 million guaranteed. While that’s a good chunk of money, it’s not a great burden in quarterback terms. More than half of the league has a quarterback making more than that per season.
In fact, in terms of quarterback contracts, Justin Fields’ $30 million guaranteed ranks 26th in total guarantees. Of course, the fact that it’s only a two-year deal is a major factor in that, but nevertheless. The point is even with the guarantees, the Jets are not bound to Fields. In recent years, teams like the Broncos and Falcons have shown they don’t need to be beholden to burdensome quarterback contracts if there is a better option. Still, they signed him, and outbid others for him, for a reason.
“Justin [Fields is] a young, talented quarterback with a unique, athletic skill set that adds another dimension to the game that’s hard to defend”, the Jets GM said. “There was that, and then diving into the person, knowing his leadership, he was just a good fit”. He added, “He probably has some of the best quarterback play of his career” last season with the Steelers.
Of course, Pittsburgh only gave up a sixth-round pick for Fields in the final year of his rookie contract. The Steelers didn’t have to give him $30 million to sign him this offseason, though we don’t know what they offered. After losing Fields to the Jets, they pivoted and brought back Mason Rudolph. In the meantime, they are still waiting on Aaron Rodgers.
