COLUMBUS, Ohio — Justin Fields and Garrett Wilson are reuniting in the NFL, as the former Ohio State quarterback has found a new home and a fresh start.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Fields is reportedly signing a two-year, $40 million contract with the Jets with expectations that he will be New York’s next starting quarterback, replacing the departed Aaron Rodgers.
He joins an organization also looking to turn the page, with Aaron Glenn taking over as the head coach and Darren Mougey as the new general manager.
In Wilson, Fields will have a familiar face, as they spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons playing together in Columbus. During that time, the five-star Georgia transfer threw for 5,373 yards and 63 touchdowns, adding another 867 rushing yards and 15 scores.
During those two seasons, Wilson went from a rotational player as a freshman to a standout as a sophomore. The former five-star recruit alongside Chris Olave were Fields’ top two weapons during a shortened 2020 season where OSU reached the national championship game during Ryan Day’s second season as a head coach. Both would later be first-round NFL draft picks.
While Wilson has turned into a budding NFL star with three straight 1,000-yard seasons, Fields hasn’t had such a smooth path.
He was originally the 11th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to the Chicago Bears, spending his first three seasons flashing his upside and failing to achieve team success. When the Bears moved on from him in favor of drafting Caleb Williams last year, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, getting a few starts early in the year before becoming a backup to Russell Wilson.
Now, he’s getting another chance to start.
There is a reality where Fields could have been a Jet from the get-go. He the second-highest-rated player in the 2018 recruiting class. He and Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence were the clear top players in that group, destined to be linked to each other throughout their careers. That played out in college, with the two splitting College Football Playoff matchups.
That was supposed to continue in the NFL.
Lawrence went first to the Jacksonville Jaguars in that 2021 draft, but Fields slid down the board and ended up the fourth quarterback taken. The Jets took Zach Wilson second that year, while the San Francisco 49ers traded up to take Trey Lance.
Four years later, Lawrence is the only one still at his original home, and Fields is a Jet, with a Buckeye as his top weapon in the passing game.
Fields has thrown for 7,780 yards and 45 touchdowns in his career, adding another 2,509 yards and 19 touchdowns rushing. He is 14-30 as a starter.
