New York Jets’ QB Destined For ‘Break Out or Flop’ 2025 Campaign originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Eras for NFL franchises are often defined by and associated with the quarterback. 2025 marks a new era of New York Jets football, as Justin Fields is the new man in town.

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The Jets signed Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract. It’s a low-risk, high-reward venture for the Jets. If Fields can live up to the potential that got him drafted with the No. 11 overall pick, it’s a bargain for the Jets. If Fields continues to struggle, it’s not a franchise-hampering deal.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell pegged Fields as an offseason signing who “could break out – or flop.”

“This might not be Fields’ last chance as a starter, but it’s probably his last chance at entering an offseason with a meaningful guarantee to start somewhere.” Barnwell wrote.

Barnwell hopes the Jets utilize his strength as a runner and play-extender, which the Chicago Bears did not take advantage of.

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“The hope for Fields is that the Jets lean into his strengths in the QB run game, which the Bears didn’t really do.” Barnwell noted. “The Steelers jumped a little further in, but after he averaged just over five designed runs (excluding scrambles and kneel-downs) across his six games as a starter, he was benched for Russell Wilson.”

Fields is coming off his lone season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. As a starter, Fields went 4-2, with his two losses coming from a combined margin of six points. Fields was two scores away from a perfect 6-0 record with the Steelers, compared to Wilson who went 6-5 as a starter. But Fields’ track record as a full-time starter in Chicago wasn’t pretty.

“While the Steelers went 4-2 with Fields throwing just one interception on 161 pass attempts, the best version of a Fields-led offense has to commit to his ability to create explosive plays” Wrote Barnwell. “He has taken sacks on nearly 12% of his dropbacks as a pro, plays that usually kill drives. His 40.9% success rate as a passer ranks 24th out of 25 quarterbacks with at least 1,200 dropbacks over the past four seasons, per NFL Next Gen Stats. With all of those negative or neutral plays, he has to produce big plays to survive as an NFL passer.”

Related: Could Giants Land High-Profile Lineman?

Related: Mason Taylor Continues To Shine At Jets OTAs

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.