Steelers Now
In a new documentary released by the New York Jets, quarterback Justin Fields explained why he signed with Gang Green in free agency. Head coach Aaron Glenn played a big factor in the decision.
“I’m definitely super excited to just be here,” Fields said. “Meeting all of the new coaches and everybody around the building. Really just excited for a fresh start. We’re ready to get to work. So, super excited. I chose the Jets because No. 1, AG. The kind of coach he is, how passionate he is about the game, and really just what he brings to the table. Changing the culture around here and wanting to win games and wanting to be great. He knows what it takes to build a team up from the ground up and really get them going. I think that’s why AG is the right guy for the job.”
Fields, who played in Chicago for three years before spending last season with the Steelers, used to play Aaron Glenn’s Detroit Lions’ defensive unit twice a year in the NFC North. Glenn was the Lions defensive coordinator before being named the Jets head coach earlier this offseason.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Steelers offered Fields a contract similar to the Jets’ offer, but he chose the Jets over the Steelers.
“Look, last week or a week and a half ago, they put together an offer for Justin Fields that I was told was very competitive with what the Jets offered him, which was two years 40 million with 30 million guaranteed,” Fowler said on the Dan Patrick Show in March. “Something went off where he chose the Jets and he must have felt the love more from the Jets than he did the Steelers who essentially benched him last year for Russell Wilson. So he gets a fresh start. I do believe they were all in on Fields. I don’t know if they had Fields ahead of (Aaron) Rodgers, but they were willing to do Fields. Like both sides at one point were open to it. It didn’t work.”
Fields reflected on his one season with the Steelers during his Jets introductory press conference. It was a tumultuous season for Fields, as he started off 4-2 as the team’s starter before being benched for the rest of the year in place of veteran Russell Wilson.
Fields handled the benching like a true professional, but it wasn’t easy for him.
“It was different for me and a space I wasn’t really comfortable. But Coach Tomlin made a decision he thought was best for the team,” Fields said, via Zach Rosenblatt of The Athletic. “I’m never going to go against that. I just tried to change my perspective and get better in practice.”
Fields threw for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception while leading the Steelers to a 4-2 start to the season. He also rushed for 231 yards and five touchdowns during the span.
Wilson, on the other hand, threw for...
