Justin Fields, Jets starters to play in preseason Week 1

Football is officially back, Jets fans. The preseason is upon us and the New York Jets will play their first football game of the year this Saturday night at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers. Unlike last year, head coach Aaron Glenn has confirmed that the starters will play, including quarterback Justin Fields (not-so-fun fact: Fields is currently 0-6 against the Packers).

In 2024, then-head coach Robert Saleh did not play Aaron Rodgers or the rest of the starters in their preseason matchups, citing his belief that the starters had done enough work throughout training camp to be ready for the regular season. We all know how that went. We’ve seen time and time again in the NFL that most teams can’t get away with resting starters during the preseason. This strategy usually leads to sluggish starts, especially on offense.

Not to mention, the Jets are entering Year 1 of a new regime. With a new coaching staff, new schemes, and a new quarterback, early problems are going to be inevitable. There’s no getting around them, which is a big reason why the Jets are low in preseason power rankings. The best the Jets can hope for is to mitigate early-season mistakes and miscues by getting some of them out of the way before the games count towards the playoffs.

This will give Jets fans their long-awaited chance to see Justin Fields in action. Yes, he’s done plenty of work in training camp but nothing compares to live football with tackling of the quarterback allowed. It’s been an up-and-down training camp for Fields. He’s posted some concerning stats in recent practices, but has also shined at other times in training camp and looked the part of a franchise quarterback.

Will he become one for New York? We’ll take our first step towards a definitive answer to that question on Saturday.