The Justin Fields era is over with the New York Jets.
NFL Insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic was the first to share that the Jets have benched Fields for Tyrod Taylor. So now what?
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic said there is a chance, albeit “unlikely”, that Fields could be traded during the 2026 offseason.
“This seems unlikely since there presumably won’t be much interest, though he could be an intriguing No. 2 for teams with a mobile starting quarterback (Ravens, Eagles, Commanders). If the Jets did convince someone to take him, they’d save $11 million and incur $12 million in dead cap,” Rosenblatt explained in a column.
Insider Explores the Fields Trade Possibility
On the “Flight Plan” podcast, Rosenblatt explained his thought process behind a potential trade.
“I mean, if you’re trading him, you’re probably eating most of the contract and maybe throwing in a draft pick to get something else,” Rosenblatt said. “Nobody is going to be interested in him as a starting quarterback, certainly. I have said this earlier in the year, I am intrigued by him as a backup to like a quarterback who is mobile. So it’s like a seamless fit. I do think he is an intriguing No. 2, maybe not in New York, but.”
“You can do things with him, and as Connor [Hughes] said on our other pod, even if you don’t have a mobile quarterback like the way he [Fields] would come in as a wildly different quarterback than the one you have. That could be a weapon in a way, too. So I like the idea of him as a high-end No. 2,” Rosenblatt added.
If the Jets are going to cut Fields as a last resort, then working out a potential solution where you don’t have to eat all of the money is better than nothing.
The Most Likely Outcome…
I’m sure the Jets, before they go to bed at night, will pray to the high heavens that they can trade Fields. It wouldn’t result in much draft compensation — maybe a late-round pick swap, but it could, more importantly, save them money.
However, they will likely have to eat it and cut him. Fields has been one of the worst quarterbacks in football. “Since 2021, he’s 33rd out of 38 qualified passers in Total QBR,” per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
The real decision for the Jets, if they go down this path, will be to eat all the dead money now or split it over two years.
Every NFL team is allowed a maximum of two post-June 1 designations each year. If the Jets chose that path,
“Releasing Fields feels like the most likely outcome, even with the financial issues attached to that. If the Jets release him, they could prioritize eating his dead money in one fell swoop ($22 million dead cap, $1 million savings if he’s released before June 1). Or they can designate him a post-June 1 release, which would spread the dead cap hit out over multiple years and provide more cap savings ($13 million dead cap in 2026, $10 million savings),” Rosenblatt explained.
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