Just minutes after a South Florida sun shower, Jets GM Darren Mougey talked about the team's new QB1 at the NFL League Meetings Sunday in Palm Beach, FL. Justin Fields, who put pen to paper on his new contract on March 13, is assuming the role of starting quarterback with the Green & White.
"We believe Justin is the starter," Mougey said. "We believe in Justin – we believe we can win with Justin. So, we're excited about Justin."
Fields, who went 4-2 as a starter last season in Pittsburgh, is a career 61.1% passer who's totaled 64 TDs (45 pass, 19 rush) against 42 turnovers (31 INTs, 12 fumbles lost).
"Justin is a young, talented quarterback with a unique athletic skill set that adds another dimension to the game," Mougey said. "There was that and then diving into the person, knowing him, his leadership – he was a good fit."
Fields, 26, set career highs last season with the Steelers with a 65.5% completion percentage and a 93.3 passer rating. The 6-3, 227-pound Fields has a live arm and is a dynamic runner who's rushed for 2,509 yards in 50 games.
"One of the priorities going in was to address the quarterback position really on both sides of the ball," Mougey said. "Obviously, we feel good about what we did there with Justin and you talk about the quarterback on defense – Jamien Sherwood. It's always nice when you keep one of your own in free agency, so we were able to do that."
With the Jets, Fields, an Ohio State product who was selected by Chicago No.11 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, will reunite with former Buckeyes teammate Garrett Wilson.
"You saw there was rapport there at Ohio State and hope to see it again here," Mougey said.
When asked about how he'll approach the QBs in next month's draft, Mougey, who holds eight picks including No. 7 overall, chose to focus on the entire landscape.
"We're going to evaluate the quarterbacks, the entire class," he said. "That's the same for every position."
After signing three players (Fields, Sherwood and CB Brandon Stephens) to multi-year deals in free agency, Mougey was asked about the potential contract extensions for young stars Wilson and Sauce Gardner.
"We have several players, whether it's early extensions or players we can extend in the last year, and those are good problems to have," he said. "But when we're having those discussions, those are good discussions to have. But right now, my focus is on the draft. Once we get through the draft, we'll talk about potential discussions."
The Jets will head to the draft with more clarity at quarterback as Fields will lead a room that also includes backup Tyrod Taylor, and young passers Jordan Travis and Adrian Martinez.
"He probably had some of the best quarterback play of his career," Mougey said of Fields, as the sun broke out. "We're going to do everything we can to support him when he gets here."
Jetcetera
GM Darren Mougey indicated the Jets would like to keep WR Allen Lazard on the roster and they are working on a possible restructuring of his contract. "The receiver room, we feel good about," Mougey said. "Obviously, it starts with G-Dub, [Garrett Wilson] one of the top receivers. In regard to Allen Lazard, we're working through that right now, but I feel good about where that's going."
During free agency, the Jets added TE Stone Smartt while TEs Tyler Conklin (LAC) and Kenny Yeboah (DET) found new homes. With the No. 7 overall selection in the draft, many pundits believe Penn State TE Tyler Warren would be a good fit. "[Jeremy] Ruckert can take the next step," Mougey said. "It's a good tight end class in the draft. There's some depth there. I feel good about Stone Smartt. He's an athletic guy with some upside, so I feel good about the tight end room."
While Mougey said "it's wide open" for the Jets at No. 7 in the NFL Draft, he's pleased with the depth the club added over the last month. "I feel good about the depth and it's not over," he said. "All offseason, we're always looking to acquire players, add depth, add competition through free agency, the draft, even the offseason. So, it never ends but we feel good about where we're at in regards to the players we have on the roster right now."
