It has been a long time since the New York Jets had a quarterback they could feel good about. Their failings aren’t for a lack of trying, either.

Top draft picks like Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson have collapsed under the weight of high expectations. Even a future Hall of Fame player like Aaron Rodgers was unable to fix what has been broken in Florham Park.

New York’s latest quarterback failure doesn’t have the same bravado as those listed. He wasn’t even a part of the Jets’ long-term plan.

But the trade of Justin Fields to the Kansas City Chiefs after just a year and nine starts is the latest quarterback gamble that simply hasn’t panned out for Gang Green.

Another chapter has quickly closed regarding the most important position on the field for New York.

Jets move on from Fields

No one can argue that the Jets were not within their right to move on from the former Ohio State first-rounder. Fields failed to throw for 60 yards in four of his nine starts last season.

This should not be possible in 2025, at a point in NFL history when all the rules are trying to help offenses. It’s no wonder the Jets were willing to eat $19 million in dead money to have Fields off the roster.

But Fields’ failings go beyond just his limitations as a passer.

New York’s process that led to Fields becoming the starter was flawed during the 2025 offseason. It should be used as a learning experience from head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey.

Choosing Fields as a starter wasn’t the issue. It was the Jets’ decision to give him the starting job without a competition that led to key issues for the offense. Even when the quarterback struggled throughout training camp, New York’s coaches remained steadfast in their belief that their game plan would work out.

In the end, it blew up in their faces.

Now, most of the offensive coaching staff responsible for the mess is gone, while Glenn is on the hot seat entering 2026.

Fields deserves blame as well. As a former first-round pick, the expectation was that the Georgia native would have developed faster than he has shown. New York had shaped their offense to fit his strengths as a heavy RPO-style thrower.

It still didn’t work, largely because Fields couldn’t execute the basics. Even when receivers were open, Fields would hesitate in the pocket and take unnecessary sacks.

Fields takes a sack on 1st-10 with an easy 5 yards available on his first read

Johnson (bottom most) runs a speed out route as a part of the smash concept and has a yard on the CB who played it with heavy inside leverage (top hat?)

Johnson has a yard on the CB, Fields goes to… pic.twitter.com/ypdMWShLIs

— Joe Blewett (@Joerb31) October 15, 2025

So yes, the Jets are at fault for blindly expecting their system to allow Fields to thrive when he has never shown he can. Fields, meanwhile, isn’t the quarterback many expected when he came out of the first round in 2021.

New York’s QB plan

There’s a simple lesson the Jets can learn from their latest failed quarterback plan.

Blindly handing a player a job in which you have to transform your offense in a major way isn’t a logical step toward development. New York would be smart to take that lesson with them into 2026.

Gang Green acquired Geno Smith from the Las Vegas Raiders in a trade at the start of the new league year. They still have to fill out the quarterback room with a veteran signing and, potentially, a selection in the 2026 draft.

Smith has had issues as a starter on his own, including a league-high 32 interceptions combined in the last two years, but he has shown prowess at the position far greater than that of Fields.

If New York was going for a “safe” option at quarterback, Smith fits that bill.

More importantly, though, the Jets do not have to transform their offensive philosophy or game plan to Smith’s limitations. All they have to do is build the talent around him.

There’s no guarantee that Smith will work out in his second stint with the Jets. In fact, there’s a high likelihood that he won’t move the needle much in New York’s rebuild.

But after what the Jets went through with Fields, it’s hard to see their new starter not being an upgrade for the organization in 2026.