There’s a new regime running the New York Jets, but some things haven’t changed, like the owner, and apparently, the quarterback curse. Head coach Aaron Glenn has been standing by Justin Fields as the team spirals to 0-7, trying to keep the locker room steady. But Woody Johnson isn’t holding back.

The Jets owner went public with his frustrations, pointing the finger straight at his quarterback for the team’s winless start. “It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that we got. He has the ability, but something is just, it’s not jiving,” the owner said, while further adding, “…If we could just complete a pass, it would look good.”

And right after that, ESPN’s Mike Florio urged the New York team to let go of Fields and let him play for another team.

“How does that make the employee feel when the boss of the company calls you out?” Florio told Chris Simms, addressing Johnson’s comments toward Fields. “There’s a way to handle these issues without taking it public…I hope Justin Fields speaks today and speaks his mind…If you’re done with him, cut him. Let him walk away. Let him go play for someone else.”

The Jets have sunken into a hole and are now the only winless team heading into Week 8. Though Glenn’s job is safe as of now, the Jets are in dire need of some crucial roster decisions. For starters, the way things are shaping up, Fields might lose his job to Tyrod Taylor in the coming weeks.

As for cutting ties with him? Woody Johnson didn’t exactly sugarcoat things. He gave a pretty blunt assessment of his quarterback while talking to reporters. And sure, what he said wasn’t entirely off-base. The numbers back him up.

Fields in his debut year with the Jets has thrown for 845 passing yards and four touchdowns, along with 257 yards and three touchdowns rushing. To make it rough, the team benched him in a 6-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers in favor of Taylor. But analysts like Mike Florio and Chris Simms think the real issue isn’t Fields’ play; it’s the owner calling him out in public.

“Make sure the guy who’s out there, speaking knows what to say, when to say it. What not to say. You can praise Aaron Glenn without gratuitously trashing a player, you don’t need to gratuitously throw darts at the quality of a player. Everybody knows that Justin Fields isn’t too good enough. He’s about to get benched.”

No surprise they’re now pushing for the Jets to part ways with Fields and give him a shot somewhere else. As things stand, it’s too early to predict whether the Jets will trade their quarterback. After all, Fields is tied with the team through the 2026 season. And yes, a trade at this point will be difficult, considering his contract terms include $10 million in guaranteed salary in 2026.

Justin Fields shrugged off the owner’s criticism

Mike Florio had hoped Justin Fields would speak his mind after the team owner publicly called him out. And he did exactly that. Ahead of the Jets’ Week 8 clash with the Cincinnati Bengals, Fields brushed off Woody Johnson’s criticism and made it clear he’s not looking to have any “clear-the-air” talk about it.

“I don’t think me talking to him is going to do anything,” the 26-year-old quarterback said on Wednesday. “It’s not going to make me play better. It’s not going to give me more confidence on the field, so I don’t think there’s necessarily a point in talking about that, and I doubt he’ll come and talk to me.”

“I’m not sure how he feels about the situation at all, but, I mean, I don’t have any plans going up to press him about what he said. Everybody’s entitled to their opinion. That’s just what it is, but you just have a choice or not whether those opinions affect you or not.”

According to ESPN, Fields didn’t even realize the owner was pinning the winless start on him until reporters filled him in. The quarterback admitted he’s not particularly close to Woody Johnson and had only met him once before a recent game. As things stand, the rumor mill has been buzzing that Fields might lose his job. Whether that means a trade or Tyrod Taylor stepping in? That’s still up in the air.