Justin Fields is the most misunderstood, underappreciated and poorly used quarterback in recent NFL history.
He’s a talented athlete with the skillsets to keep defenses guessing, yet every team he has played for has squandered his abilities by not building around him and then moving on just when he starts to progress.
In two seasons at Ohio State, Fields went 20-2, threw for 5,373 yards, 63 TDs and 9 INTs and rushed for 867 yards and 15 TDs. In the National Championship Game, he outshined “generational talent” Trevor Lawrence and the entire Clemson team by himself, throwing for 385 yards, 6 TDs and 1 INT.
His Buckeye’ tenure convinced the Bears to trade with the Giants and move up to select Fields with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, making him the fourth QB chosen behind Trevor Lawrence (1st overall), Zach Wilson (Jets, 2nd) and Trey Lance (49ers, 3rd).
His first two seasons were marred by bad coaching, a horrendous offensive line and a lack of weapons. But in Year 2, he did set the QB single-season rushing record with 1,143 yards, breaking Michael Vick’s record set in 2006 (1,039). He also added 8 TDs on the ground.
In Year 3, the Bears added a true WR no.1 in DJ Moore, which enabled Fields to have his best season to date- 2,562 yards passing, 16 TDs and 9 INTs while missing a few games due to a hand injury.
Unfortunately, Fields could not overcome poor coaching and a lack of talented personnel, and the Bears went 10-28 in his three seasons under center in Chicago.
At the time, I wrote, “Justin Fields deserves better, and if Chicago isn’t going to do right by him, then they should send him to a team that will.”
It appeared Pittsburgh listened as they traded a conditional sixth-rounder for the young QB in 2024.
With Fields under center, and Arthur Smith as the new offensive coordinator, the Steelers started out at 4-2 and seemed to have a new outlook on what had become a stale, bland and horrendous offense.
Fields threw for 1,106 yards with 5 TDs and 1 INT while completing a career-best 65.8% of his passes. He also added 289 yards rushing and 5 TDs and gave the Steelers a true red zone threat.
This had me thinking things had changed for both Fields and the Steelers.
I was wrong.
With Russell Wilson healthy, Mike Tomlin sent Fields to the bench and the team went 6-1 in the next 7 games to stand at 10-3.
But then the team lost 4 straight, made the playoffs at 10-7 and lost in the first round to the Ravens. Even worse was the fact that Tomlin and Smith barely looked to Fields during the team’s slow death 5-game losing streak.
A player who could change the pace of the game simply sat on the bench and watched helplessly
Even a team as bad as the Saints have never hesitated to use Taysom Hill when a spark is needed, but the Steelers baffled their fans by continuing to let Russ ignore the middle of the field and lose.
At the end of the season, I wrote the Steelers should have re-signed Fields and given him a chance to develop. Instead, they let him sign a two-year, $40 million deal with the Jets, traded for WR no.1 in DK Metcalf a few days later and brought in 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers.
Yet after Pittsburgh’s ugly loss to Buffalo at home on Sunday, the Steelers are 6-6 and their aged QB looks even older and more beat up now.
True, Fields hasn’t done much of anything to help the Jets this season, although he did lead them to their only 2 wins in his 9 starts. But to blame him once again for the team’s lack of success repeats an unfair pattern.
Fields has his faults- he looks hesitant at times and sometimes doesn’t see the field properly. Yet he also lost his number one target in Garrett Wilson and outside of Breece Hall, the team lacks weapons (sound familiar?).
I’m not saying Fields, 26, is a Pro Bowl QB, but if you look at his NFL career, which only spans 5 years, he hasn’t been given the proper time or support to develop into what he looked to be capable of while at Ohio State.
Imagine if he was with the Bears or Pittsburgh now. Imagine if those teams built around him instead of shipping him out/letting him walk.
Last week, Fields was benched in favor of veteran Tyrod Taylor, yet they still lost to the Ravens. Could he have changed the outcome? Maybe, maybe not, but he wasn’t even utilized.
And to be fair, the Jets did beat the Falcons on Sunday with Taylor under center.
But the fact remains that Justin Fields deserves what most promising young QBs, especially those on losing teams, deserve- support, coaching, playmakers and a system that helps them utilize their talents.
Sadly, Fields has yet to experience that as teams continue to fail him.
