Scary Injury Rocks Former Vikings Rival
Summer injuries in the NFL are ruthless.
A former Vikings rival QB may be facing serious trouble after a scary injury at training camp. Here’s what happened, and how it may affect his team henceforth.
Turmoil rocked New York Jets training camp on Thursday, just six weeks before the official start of the regular season.
Quarterback Justin Fields injured his leg, and now the world waits for his prognosis.
It’s Now a Waiting Game on Justin Fields’ Status
The New York Jets seem to have a knack for never finding any luck.
Justin Fields Carted Off at Jets Training Camp
Fields worked for the Chicago Bears from 2021 to 2023, so Minnesota Vikings fans are familiar with his game. The Pittsburgh Steelers tried Fields on for size last year, before pivoting to Russell Wilson when the former Seattle Seahawk returned to health.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini wrote about the Fields injury, “New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields was carted off the practice field Thursday morning with an apparent lower leg injury. Fields pulled up after rolling right and throwing an incomplete short pass to tight end Jeremy Ruckert. Fields went down, sat on the ground briefly and limped off the field with the assistance of a trainer.”
“He spent a few minutes in the injury tent before a cart arrived on the scene. Fields was taken to the locker room, sitting in the passenger seat of the cart, before walking into the team facility.”
The Worst Case Scenario
Of course, everyone hopes that Fields will be back and ready to go in no time. It’s just the waiting game will feature suspense in the form of pins and needles.
Chicago afforded Fields a long leash to break out into stardom, which never really occurred, but Fields’ supporting cast with the Bears had a lot to be desired.
In New York, the Jets made Fields the unabashed starter, unlike the Steelers in 2024, a club that featured Fields in a summer quarterback competition alongside the aforementioned Wilson. This season — hopefully the plan is still in place — was supposed to be Fields’ one big shot to prove his mettle as a starter.
At least for a while, that is in jeopardy, as the Jets might be faced with handing their season to alternative quarterback options.
Insert Tyrod Taylor if the Worst Comes to Fruition
The QB2 for the Jets? No other than veteran Tyrod Taylor, a passer with ample experience and who, some might argue, is a better football player than Fields.
The soon-to-be 36-year-old has been a part of the NFL for 13 years, going on 14, starting 58 games altogether, with his various teams compiling a 28-28-1 (.500) record during his tenure.
If the worst is realized for Fields, the Jets might be comfortable handing the baton to Taylor. Onlookers wouldn’t have to worry about the massive learning curve.
The only problem? Fields’ upside is allegedly higher than Taylor’s, and with Taylor, a 9-8 season might be the ceiling.
Inevitable Kirk Cousins Chatter, Too
Probably peeking ahead too far, Kirk Cousins, a former Viking, would absolutely factor into the Jets’ discussions if Fields is lost for multiple games or longer. You can set a clock to that talker.
Cousins is currently the Atlanta Falcons’ QB2 and, in a Cousinsian way, has expressed disgruntlement over not starting in 2025. While the Fields situation has days to go before any Cousins inclusion, he is guaranteed to become the first option for the media if the worst-case scenario arises for Fields.
And — Cousins might cook with the Jets alongside Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, and others.
Other Fields Perspectives
SI.com‘s Andy Quach wrote Thursday, “Fields had put together a sort of renaissance season last year for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After three campaigns for the Chicago Bears, playing behind a shaky-at-best offensive line with severely limited weapons to take pressure off of him, the Steelers traded for him in a buy-low move, nabbing him in return for just a conditional sixth-round pick.”
“In Pittsburgh, he had to compete with Russell Wilson for the QB1 spot. Despite leading the Steelers to a 4-2 record with 1,106 passing yards, another 289 yards on the ground, and 10 total touchdowns to start the season, they still opted to bench him in favor of Wilson, once the latter recovered from his calf injury.”
The Fields injury is a stark reminder of how a season can be flipped on its head in a heartbeat.
Quach added, “Many believed that Fields had shown enough to earn another chance to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. This offseason, he got that opportunity when the New York Jets signed him to a two-year, $40 million contract. The Jets had a clear pathway for him to be their QB1 without having to watch over his shoulder in fear of being replaced midseason.”
“It could have allowed Fields to grow comfortable and really show what he was capable of doing in the pros. Now, he’s in danger of missing the entire campaign.”
More will be learned about Fields’ status in the coming hours and days. Perhaps he’ll escape the ordeal with something minor.
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