The Pittsburgh Steelers fanbase may have thought they let one get away when Justin Fields put together the best game of his career in a narrow Week 1 loss, but everything that has transpired since then has shown that Mike Tomlin was dead on right in moving on to start the Aaron Rodgers era.
Fields put together the worst game of his career in a painful loss against the Denver Broncos, so much so that his Jets finished with a pathetic -10 total net passing yards. Another inept showing against the Carolina Panthers led Aaron Glenn to finally pull the plug.
Just a few months after Steelers fans found themselves furious with their front office for letting Fields leave, the Jets benched him for veteran backup Tyrod Taylor. Glenn couldn't face his locker room and claim he is trying to genuinely win games by rolling Taylor out there.
Fields is always going to attract legions of fans due to his style of play, but these struggles have gotten to the point where the Bears, Steelers, and Jets have all given up on him in a span of less than 24 calendar months. Good call, Tomlin.
Pittsburgh Steelers look smart for not signing Justin Fields after Jets benching
The Jets hadn't scored a touchdown in the first half since their duel with Pittsburgh in Week 1, and they haven't managed 10 first-half points in six straight games. At a certain point, Glenn needed to look his team in the eye and tell them he was trying to win some games here.
Fields never overcame the biggest problem of his, going back to his days with Ohio State. Fields is simply too slow a processor to be a high-end quarterback in this league. This leads to him being a touch late on some big throws while also taking way too many ill-advised sacks.
Rodgers hasn't been his old self with the Steelers, as his touchdown pass numbers often overshadow a very conservative passing offense, but he can operate a passing game with some degree of aplomb. Fields won with Pittsburgh, but that style of play was the furthest thing from sustainable.
Fields' strong arm and terrific athletic gifts only took him so far as a quarterback in this league. The Jets, like the Steelers, finally realized that you can't build a team that opponents will be scared of if Fields is at the tip of the proverbial spear.