The Pittsburgh Steelers wanted to re-sign Justin Fields, but the New York Jets were willing to offer more. They signed him to a two-year, $40 million contract, of which $30 million is fully guaranteed. The Steelers very rarely hand out second-year guarantees, and apparently did not offer such a deal to Fields.
That may or may not be the only reason Fields left the Steelers for the Jets, but I’m sure it was one reason. Another reason may be that he has a clearer, less ambiguous path to starting in New York. No team is going to offer him absolute certainty, however, as the Jets’ general manager showed yesterday.