Every successful NFL team usually has at least one of these two things: a really good quarterback or a really good head coach.
The best NFL teams have both.
As the New York Jets embark on a new era in 2025, their QB-coach combo isn't being greeted with much confidence.
Head coach Aaron Glenn will join forces with former first-round pick Justin Fields to form what Jets fans certainly believe is the best QB-coach duo the team has had in quite some time.
Unfortunately, Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame has a much different opinion in his ranking of every head coach and quarterback duo in the league this year.
The New York Jets checked in just one spot above the worst in the NFL at No. 31.
"Glenn is not only a first-year coach with New York, but it’s the first time he’s ever been in the head seat," Verderame wrote. "Then there’s Fields, who is now on his third team in as many years and is justifiably viewed as a placeholder by most. Glenn might be a great long-term answer, but that’s impossible to project currently."
Justin Fields 2024 highlights 🎯#Jets pic.twitter.com/kgmxpQkXGo
— Harrison Glaser (@NYJetsTFMedia) March 10, 2025
It's a bit unfair to knock Fields for being on his third team, especially considering his first three seasons in the NFL were soured by failed coaching staffs with the Chicago Bears that had nothing to do with Fields, as Matt Eberflus proved in 2024.
Indeed, it's true that Fields hasn't taken significant steps toward developing as a passer, but his incredibly rare traits as a runner give him a long leash to keep a starting job for a long time. He's one of the NFL's truly elite playmakers, regardless of position.
Fields started six games for the Steelers last season, going 4-2 over that stretch. He threw for 1,106 yards and five touchdowns with just one interception, and ran for an additional 289 yards and five scores.
While Glenn is certainly a great unknown, it feels like we'll look back at this ranking at the end of the season and laugh at how low it was.
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