The Pittsburgh Steelers had Justin Fields last season as the former Chicago Bears quarterback completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 1,106 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, and one interception.
Nonetheless, it wasn't enough for Fields to stick around with the Steelers. In March, the 26-year-old and the New York Jets agreed on a two-year, $40 million contract that includes $30 million in guarantees, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
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As fate would have it, Fields will be facing Pittsburgh in Week 1 as the Steelers went and signed veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who played for the Jets the previous two seasons.
However, NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci is calling out the Stellers for giving up on Fields rather than holding onto him.
"When he played for the Steelers: 4-2, 10 touchdowns, [and] one pick," Mariucci said. "Terrific start. I was absolutely shocked. I'm a Russell Wilson fan, but I was shocked that this organization changed quarterbacks when this young guy was playing his best football in his career.
"He's got four years in the league, and every year, he's on an upward trajectory. His completion percentage, his shutdown interception ratio, his passer rating is going up and up and up and up. If he was a stock, he'd be like, buy right now. I thought they'd give him some more time."
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If Fields can have an impressive 2025 season, then more criticism could come the Steelers' way for not giving him a bigger runway to be the starter and possibly the future starting quarterback.
Meanwhile, on the Jets, Fields has an opportunity to be their quarterback of the future, considering his age. New York didn't take a signal-caller in the 2025 NFL Draft, so there's no one in the waiting. It will be all on Fields to run away with the job and make the Big Apple his home.