Justin Fields Says He Doesn't Have Relationship with Jets Owner After Criticism of QB

Justin Fields responded to Woody Johnson's pointed and public critique of him, telling reporters he doesn't have a relationship with the New York Jets owner.

Johnson defended head coach Aaron Glenn amidst the team's 0-7 start by ripping Fields, telling reporters on Tuesday it's "hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that he's got. I mean, he has ability, but something just is not jiving. ... You have to play consistently at that position, and that's what we're going to try to do for the remainder of the season."

Glenn told reporters he addressed the remarks in a team meeting and also met with Fields privately, though he didn't push back on Johnson's remarks.

"He made a comment, and he has every right to his comment," he said. "That comment was actually said by a number of guys, including our quarterback, as far as the efficiency of how we play. We're not going to fight that. We understand that we have to get better."

"We just said it in a different tone and a different way," he added. "So I'm glad we're on the same page on that, even with our quarterbacks. So we're just fine with that."

It is fairly rare for a team owner to so blatantly criticize a player, however, especially midseason. Suffice to say, the reaction to those comments from outside the Jets was one of borderline disbelief:

There's no doubt that Fields has struggled this season, of course. The veteran quarterback has thrown for 845 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in six games, completing 63.7 percent of his passes. He's also rushed for 257 yards and three scores.

Those numbers, in a vacuum, don't look terrible. But he's also taken 22 sacks in those games, the second most among quarterbacks this season. In the past two weeks alone, he's just 15-of-29 through the air for 91 yards. Again, that's his statistical production through the air across the past two games.

It's been rough, and the Jets scored a total of 17 points in those losses. And Fields now has three games with less than 50 passing yards and no passing touchdowns.

But it's also fair to question how the players in the locker room will feel hearing the team owner so blatantly criticizing one of their own, especially if the team needs to turn back to Fields as the starter. That remains a possibility, with Tyrod Taylor dealing with a knee injury that has been classified as a day-to-day situation (though he did practice on Wednesday).