During the 2024 season, Justin Fields had a big opportunity to become the franchise quarterback of the future for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the story didn’t end the way he had hoped. Mike Tomlin didn’t have enough trust in him and, after six games, gave the starting job to Russell Wilson.

That’s why, months later, when he became a free agent, Fields chose a fresh start with the New York Jets. Despite that, in an interview with Kay Adams, the player said he has no hard feelings and was thankful for the experience of learning behind a Super Bowl champion like Wilson.

“It definitely had a lot of impact. Last year was something that I’ve never experienced, you know, throughout my life. It definitely changed my perspective a little bit. I learned a lot from Russell and I learned a lot from being over there in general. I’m thankful for my time over there. I think I did need to take a step back and kind of see it from a different perspective. Not only football, but life in general. So, last year was definitely good to me.”

What injury did Justin Fields suffer?

Justin Fields suffered a dislocated toe on his right foot during Jets training camp, briefly sending a wave of concern through the organization. He was carted off the field, but the injury turned out to be far less serious than feared. Fields was labeled day-to-day, missing just one practice before returning in a limited capacity. By the end of the week, he was back on the field, participating in drills while wearing a protective shield on his cleat.

The young QB is expected to be fully healthy well before the season kicks off. What initially looked like a potential disaster quickly became just a footnote in an otherwise strong camp for the former Bears’ player.

Fields admitted to Adams that, as the new starting quarterback of the Jets, he’ll try to apply the most important lesson he learned with Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“The mindset going into every game that you put in the work and now it’s time to go out there and dominate at the end of the day. It reminded me of that and just being in that winning culture. I’m glad I got to spend that time over there and now I’m here. Trying to implement the same thing that I saw last year here.”