It’s a new day for New York Jets fans. The offseason has gone about as well as anyone could realistically hope. New head coach Aaron Glenn was one of the best names available for the job, Aaron Rodgers is out of town, and the team has a bright future with a potential franchise quarterback.
However, some uncertainty remains even with Justin Fields joining on a two-year deal. Over his four-year career, Fields has yet to take the next step to become a consistent NFL starter. If the move doesn’t pan out or the Jets decide to go in a different direction, one analyst has presented them with a potential backup plan.
New York Jets Could Take Gamble on Potential Justin Fields Successor
Last season, there wasn’t anything to celebrate for the Jets or Fields. New York finished with just five wins, and Fields saw minimal action in Pittsburgh after starting the first six games for the Steelers.
He led Pittsburgh to a 4-2 record in that stretch, but the offense averaged just over 17 points per game — hardly a convincing selling point for an NFL quarterback.
Fields 161 passes thrown disqualified him from ranking in PFSN’s QB+metric. Had he qualified, Fields would have had a slightly higher QB+ than Russell Wilson, who ranked 29th over the last four weeks of the season — all games the Steelers lost.
With those concerns in mind, NFL Draft analyst Jacob Infante suggested a contingency plan in his latest mock draft for PFSN. “Though the Jets signed Justin Fields to a two-year deal, his inconsistency as a starter means it would be smart of them to get an insurance option early in the NFL Draft.”
While Infante projects the Jets to add offensive line help in the first round by selecting Will Campbell, he believes their second-round pick (42nd overall) could be where they find Jaxson Dart out of Ole Miss.
“The aptly named Jaxson Dart has a strong arm and ideal ball placement across the middle of the field. He’s also shown some dual-threat capabilities as a runner. He doesn’t seem like a quarterback ready to start right away, but he’s shown tools over his time at Ole Miss that could project him as a future starter at the NFL level.”
Dart has steadily improved during his three years with the Rebels, capping off 2024 with 4,279 passing yards and 29 touchdowns, averaging over 10 yards per attempt.
Although he’s not expected to be a day-one starter, Dart could be a developmental project for Glenn and the Jets, offering a potential long-term solution at quarterback.
Dart is going in the first round. There is no chance he is available with the Jets second round pick!! He is the best QB in this draft.