The feud between Justin Fields and Woody Johnson continues to rage on amid the New York Jets‘ ongoing losing skid.
Fields responded to the Jets owner Wednesday after he took a not-so-veiled shot at the embattled first-year quarterback earlier this week.
Fields signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Jets in March to be the team’s starting quarterback for at least this season. But the Jets, of course, are 0-7 and Fields was benched for backup Tyrod Taylor during their 13-6 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Jets coach Aaron Glenn has not named a starter for their Week 8 game against the Cincinnati Bengals — and former QB Joe Flacco.
Woody Johnson’s Criticism didn’t ‘bother’ Justin Fields
If you haven’t heard by now, Johnson went out of his way to take aim at Fields — who Johnson, of course, signs the checks for — at the league meetings in New York.
“It looks like [coach Aaron Glenn] is turning around parts of it. Itâs hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that heâs got,” Johnson said, referencing Fields. “I mean, he has ability, but something just is not jiving. But if you look at any head coach of a quarterback like that, youâre going to see similar results if you were across the league.”
For the record, Fields ranks tied for 17th in quarterback rating (91.1) alongside C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans and ahead of Bo Nix, who quarterbacks the Denver Broncos — the first place team in the AFC West.
When asked, Fields said he had not heard of Johnson’s comments. But he also wasn’t sweating his boss’ criticisms.
“It doesn’t bother me,” he said. “Of course, everybody knows I need to play better and we need to play better as a team. Of course, no matter how the offense does as a unit, I’m going to get the blame, and I understand that — that’s just what comes with the job. You can’t let anything affect your mind.
“No matter if it’s him, no matter if it’s family members, even teammates, sometimes there’s going to be times where you have to be the only one who believes in yourself.”
Justin Fields Isn’t Going To Clear The Air With Woody Johnson
Fields’ potential benching, and this feud with the Jets owner, has made him a possible trade candidate ahead of the NFL trade deadline Nov. 4.
But the embattled QB isn’t planning to seek out Johnson to clear the air with the Jets owner.
“I don’t think me talking to him is going to do anything,” Fields told ESPN after practice Wednesday. “It’s not going to make me play better. It’s not going to give me more confidence on the field, so I don’t think there’s necessarily a point in talking about that, and I doubt he’ll come and talk to me.
“I’m not sure how he feels about the situation at all, but, I mean, I don’t have any plans going up to press him about what he said. Everybody’s entitled to their opinion. That’s just what it is, but you just have a choice or not whether those opinions affect you or not.”
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