Justin Fields has signed on to be the next quarterback for the New York Jets. After the news broke, many fans and pundits felt as if Fields had been treated poorly by his previous organization, the Pittsburgh Steelers, after being replaced as the starter for Russell Wilson despite leading the team to a 4-2 record.
However, one prominent media personality, Ryen Russillo, isn’t buying into the narrative.
“Somehow, Fields becomes even better because of the way the season ended when he wasn’t even playing,” Russillo said on his show, The Ryen Russillo Podcast.
“There’s a lot of record stuff with quarterbacks that we should always be fighting against. And even though there are moments I think with Pittsburgh, where I go, ‘Oooh, maybe there’s something there those first couple of weeks.
“‘Like, hey, that was a pretty good throw.’ There’s are a lot of numbers that, if you really want to dig into his EPA and his value on dropbacks and stuff, it’s abysmal.
“Some of those numbers paint a picture that even if I didn’t love Fields, I’m like, ‘Wow, I didn’t realize it was that bad.’ And he gets a deal with the Jets. Now, granted, the money here is two years, $40 million, and $30 million is guaranteed.
The $20 million average annual salary puts him at 21st at the position. Like, $20 million now a year for a quarterback is just weird anyway if he’s not on the rookie deal.”
Fans reacted to Russillo’s comments on social media.
“You’d think he is an actual franchise guy,” one fan wrote on Twitter, referring to Fields.
“When the other options are Russ or Rodgers you tend to like a lot about Fields!” one person added.
“Wait til week 4… Steelers and Bears fans know what we’re talking about!” added someone else.
It;’ll be interesting to see how Fields does in the green and white.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.