The Ohio State football team played for a national championship in 2020 in large part thanks to Justin Fields. He was instrumental in not only getting the team to that point on the field, but also getting the Ohio State Buckeyes to play football in that season at all. He was one of the key figures to get the Big Ten to reverse their decision to cancel the season.
Since that final season with the Buckeyes, it has been rough for Fields. He was a first-round pick by the Chicago Bears, but was traded after three seasons to the Steelers. He then started the first six games of last season before being benched in favor of Russell Wilson.
Fields signed a deal with the New York Jets to be their starting quarterback this season, looking for a fresh start. It has not gone as planned. New York is the worst team in the league at 0-7 after losing to the Panthers on Sunday. His days as a starting quarterback might be over after that performance.
Former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields might have started his last game in the NFL
Fields was benched on Sunday against Carolina after going just 6/12 for 46 yards. He also had four carries for 22 yards before he was removed in favor of Tyrod Taylor. That seems to have been the nail in the coffin, because Taylor wasn't much better in this game. Aaron Glenn hasn't decided who the starter moving forward.
At the NFL level, Fields has not been able to replicate the success through the air that he had with the Buckeyes. He holds onto the ball for too long and just doesn't see receivers as well as he did in college. Quite frankly, this year was his last shot to prove he can be a starter.
It's very likely that Fields will now be a backup for the rest of his career. It's disappointing for Ohio State fans to see him have that outcome, because he was one of the best players they had for two years. His leadership is what fans loved, too.
Fields may still prove everyone wrong at some point, but the tape tells a different story to this point.