New Jets QB Justin Fields on being benched in Pittsburgh: ‘I wasn’t really comfortable’

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It is fair to wonder if Justin Fields would be the New York Jets’ quarterback right now if Mike Tomlin had not benched him last season.

However, in his first media availability since signing with the Jets in March, Fields did not speak ill of any of his former coaches or teammates in Pittsburgh. There was a lack of drama in the quarterback’s comments — Florham Park will be different than it was the last two years in that regard — but he said that last year’s setup for the Steelers, with Fields winning four of his six starts before returning to a backup role behind a fully healthy Russell Wilson, at least made him less than comfortable.

Consider that Fields was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, dominated after transferring from the University of Georgia to Ohio State, and was a first-round pick of the Chicago Bears in 2021. The Steelers ran an offense designed to minimize risk, so it’s not as if Fields was really flashing his talent last season, but Pittsburgh was 4-2 with him at the helm, and reports were that many in the locker room were upset when Tomlin opted to bench him.

Fields, though, took the benching in stride, even if it was new territory for him.

“I’m a big believer in: Everything happens for a reason,” Fields said on Wednesday. “I was put in a place (being a backup) where I wasn’t in my entire life. I tried to have a different perspective on it. Russ has been in the league for a long time. I learned a lot of great things from him and got to learn a different perspective of things … It was different for me in a space where I wasn’t really comfortable. But at the end of the day, coach Tomlin made a decision he thought was best for the team and I’m never going to go against that. I’m not a selfish guy. So I just tried to change my perspective, get better each and every day in practice.”

Fields insists that Tomlin benching him last season didn’t ultimately factor into his decision to sign with the Jets rather than re-sign with the Steelers. Pittsburgh did have interest in bringing him back as a potential starter in 2025, though it’s unclear how close they came to the two-year, $40 million deal he signed with New York. (Pittsburgh has now turned its attention to… Aaron Rodgers, who remains available after the Jets cut him with a post-June 1 designation.)

“In this league, I have the mindset that you can’t take things personal,” Fields said. “I was just excited for what the Jets have going on here with (Aaron Glenn) and with the coaching staff and everything like that. It didn’t have anything to do with Pittsburgh but the opportunity I had here to make an impact and get things going.”

Glenn and the Jets coaching staff feels like they can tap into Fields’ potential in ways that neither the Steelers nor Bears were able to — to let him really play the quarterback position beyond just using his skills as a running quarterback.

“We’re going to let him play quarterback,” Glenn said at the league meeting in March. “That’s what he’s always wanted to do. I’m not saying he hasn’t had a chance to do that in other places, that’s not my issue, but I know what I want to do with that player. I obviously want to utilize his legs but also want to give him a chance to go out there and play quarterback.”

In Chicago, Fields only completed 60.3 percent of his passes and threw 40 touchdowns with 30 interceptions, though he did rush for 2,220 yards and 14 touchdowns in three seasons. In Pittsburgh, he completed a career-high 65.8 percent of his passes, but averaged only 6.9 yards per attempt, which ranked 26th of 43 passers with at least 150 attempts. He passed for more than 200 yards in just two of his six starts.

“I did what I was asked to do,” Fields said. “I’ve never had a problem with that. I’ve always been a team player. I’ve always been advocating putting myself behind the team. I’m not going to get too much in depth on what was happening in Chicago or what happened last year in Pittsburgh. But I’m grateful for all the experiences I’ve had. I think the more time you have in the league, the more experience you have, so I think I’m progressing in getting better each and every year. So I’m excited to get things rolling this year.”

It won’t hurt to have one of his favorite targets from college along for the ride: star wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who played with Fields at Ohio State in 2020. They’ve kept in touch over the years and Fields said, in reuniting with him in the last few weeks, it felt like no time had passed.

“It’s awesome,” Fields said. “We played together in college and when I saw him it’s really just like the old days. I don’t think our relationship skipped a beat so of course I’m definitely excited to play with him and Ruck (tight end Jeremy Ruckert) and (center) Josh Myers. I’m excited for that and things we can do to help get each other better and get back on the same page we were in college. I’m definitely excited to be back on the field with him.”

(Photo: Chris Unger / Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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