Back in March, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn sat stone-faced at the owners’ meetings and made one thing clear – Justin Fields was never going to be a gadget guy. Not under him. Not in New York. “We’re going to let him play quarterback. That’s what he’s always wanted to do,” Glenn said. The Jets had watched his Ohio State tape. They saw the deep ball, the pocket awareness, the mobility – when given the opportunity, Glenn kept saying. Fields wasn’t just another reclamation project. He was a bet on the upside. And in Glenn’s words, they were going to move in silence.

Turns out, silence has a cruel sense of humor. Jets fans didn’t even finish their morning coffee before the panic button got slammed. One second, Justin Fields was under center in training camp. The next? Carted off with a “lower leg injury” that sent X into meltdown mode. Glenn tried to keep things calm in his post-practice comments. “Justin went down with a toe in the right side of his foot. Listen, I don’t know the severity of the injury,” he admitted. But he was quick to turn attention to veteran backup Tyrod Taylor. “Tyrod, who’s been in this league for around 14 years. So the leadership that he brings, listen, we’re all good,” he said. Twice. Like he was trying to convince himself.

But before the New York skyline went full dark, came a flicker of hope. Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, “there’s no fracture in the toe that got stepped on during practice today per source. He’s getting an MRI as the team continues to gather information.” ESPN’s Rich Cimini confirmed the injury in the toe, probably a dislocated toe, but didn’t give a severity level. So, yeah, the suspense is alive and limping. Fields signed a two-year, $40M deal this offseason – brought in to be Plan B after the Aaron Rodgers saga hit pause. 

Fields had come to New York with a purpose and a chip. After a rocky start in Chicago and a stopgap stint in Pittsburgh, where he stepped in while Russell Wilson recovered, Fields finally showed flashes. Ten games, over 1,100 passing yards, 5 TDs through the air, 5 more on the ground, and a completion rate nearing 66%. The leap was coming. Or so the Jets hoped.

There was real hope he’d finally take that leap. Fields had said, “First, win a lot of games, make the playoffs.” Fields had come to New York with a purpose – and a chip. Right now, Jets fans are just hoping he can walk into Week 1. If Fields misses time, Tyrod Taylor will likely step in, with Adrian Martinez and Brady Cook next up. But until the MRI results drop, all eyes – and toes – are on Justin. But of course, you can’t talk about quarterback injuries at Jets camp without invoking the four-snap nightmare from 2023.

As Aaron Rodgers’ ghost haunts MetLife, Justin Fields limps into a familiar nightmare

Aaron Rodgers jogged into MetLife on September 11 with the American flag in his hand and the entire stadium in a patriotic frenzy. Four plays later, that energy collapsed – Rodgers tore his Achilles on the same turf, stunning an entire league in real time. So when Justin Fields crumpled to the ground Thursday morning, fans didn’t just flinch – they spiraled. One posted on X, “Justin Fields doing his best Aaron Rodgers impression fr.”

Rodgers’ injury was supposed to be the freak accident that taught the Jets a lesson. That lesson? Don’t hang your season on one guy. Which is why the team signed Fields in the first place. A dual-threat 26-year-old with unfinished business and a $40 million contract to match. But the parallels became impossible to ignore. “New York Jets are cursed,” one fan wrote. “Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles game 1 and now Justin Fields carted off.”

Even Fields’ moment of hope – walking off the cart under his own power – did little to calm the déjà vu. The image of a QB leaving practice early had already triggered the fanbase. “So they bring in Aaron Rodgers. Gets injured. Now Justin Fields. Gets injured,” another fan vented. Rodgers, to his credit, attacked rehab and flirted with a late-season return. But when the Jets tumbled out of playoff contention, that comeback dream fizzled out.

And now? “Aaron Rodgers: I bet you I can have the shortest highlight reel for a first season quarterback in Jets history. Justin Fields: hold my beer,” one fan wrote, summing up the mood like only the internet can. Whether this is a scare or something worse, the panic is familiar. And for a franchise still haunted by what happened last fall, it’s starting to feel a little too familiar.