Justin Fields: Workaholic

Edition #892: Next week we start our training camp previews, but today we have a few notes on Justin Fields, the player who's jumped ahead as WR2 and more.

☀️ Good morning ☕

For a lot of Mets fans the Jets season can’t come soon enough at the moment. Although they still sit second in the division, a 3-7 run coupled with worrying signs for the pitching staff and continued trouble hitting with runners in scoring position, optimism has dimmed considerably. Mets Fix has all the coverage you need, hopefully things pick up soon.

Over in the Jets world I made the mistake of posting a comment about how refreshing it was to be rid of Aaron Rodgers, I always forget that for some the Messiah can do no wrong.

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Around the New York Jets 🟩⬜

• Justin Fields has been speaking about his transition to the green and white: "It's been good," he said of this transition to the Green & White. "Of course this is my third team in the last three years, so last year pretty much was the same thing. But I'm definitely grateful for those experiences and kind of took those two experiences and brought them here. The process has been good so far. When I first got here, just trying to learn everybody's name was the toughest thing for me. But as time goes along, you just start building those relationships with the different people around the building and stuff like that, but the process has been great."

• If things don’t work out for Justin Fields, it won’t be for a lack of effort: "The biggest takeaway I would say is that this guy is just a workaholic," said offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand of Fields. "He comes in early, he's here late, and he's trying to digest everything and download all the information and do things the right way. He's trying to do things that we're asking, and I think he's really put the next foot forward every day, just trying to stack days, and it's been really good."

• Here’s an interesting stat. Justin Fields is the only quarterback since 1950 to improve in completion percentage, interception percentage and passer rating in each of his four seasons. Which shows his growth since entering the league and is likely a reason the Jets targeted him in free agency. There is a real belief that he is on the ascendency and the stats back that up.

• What’s Justin Fields doing with his time off? Studying. "Always improving on my mechanics but the biggest thing is it's a new offense and a new offense for everybody, so really when we come back from training camp really not having to learn everything," he said. "My time off, I'm going to be in that playbook studying a lot and when I come back really just going to know it like the back of my hand. So, I think that's the biggest thing for me."

• ESPN has named Jets CB Darrelle Revis to its their NFL All-Quarter Century team. Revis ruined his legacy with me by going to the Patriots, but there’s no doubt that he’s an all-time great.

• Darius Slay was on twitter trying to cause issues by sending this message: “Man Houston done did right by their star CB, y the hell the jets taking so long to pay sauce he’s a top dawg that earned his money,” Sauce did respond but with the perfect message “Preciate you my dawg! it’ll happen in due time🤞🏾” - I would be shocked if this is not done within the next month, talks continue, by all accounts talks have been positive.

• Darren Waller is coming out of retirement and being traded to the Dolphins. The Jets will have to face him twice this year which doesn’t overly concern me, as long as he doesn’t start rapping again, that was torture for the ears.

• Obviously that wasn’t the biggest trade this week. The Dolphins traded CB Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith and a 7th round draft pick for Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 5th round draft pick. The Steelers got better, the Dolphins got worse. It’s clear that Pittsburgh is going all-in this year, it’ll be interesting to see if their approach works better than the Jets.

  

• WR2 is going to be an interesting competition and according to Rich Cimini, Josh Reynolds is leading that race right now: “After a strong offseason, Reynolds is the clear-cut leader for the WR2 job. He arrived with little fanfare as a free agent (one year, $2.8 million), mainly because of a down 2024 with the Broncos and Jaguars. It also was a turbulent year; he suffered arm and head wounds in a shooting,”

• I promise I’m only doing this because it’s quiet. Matt Miller released his 2026 NFL Mock Draft…before a ball has been kicked in either college or the pros. But he had the Jets taking a player that I love, so I’m going to share it. Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr - “The Jets could look for a receiver to help Garrett Wilson, but there’s not one who’s likely to be picked this high right now. Instead, defensive-minded head coach Aaron Glenn would get a true, three-down difference-maker. Hill was a stat-sheet filler in 2024, posting 113 tackles, 8 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and a 32-yard pick-six. His range in coverage and blitzing ability reminds [me] of Fred Warner, but at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, Hill could get the Micah Parsons treatment and move to an edge rusher role. That makes him the rare linebacker worthy of a top-five pick,”