Justin Fields quietly winning over Jets teammates as leader on and off the field

Garrett Wilson got used to teammates approaching him in the Jets locker room this spring to talk about new quarterback Justin Fields.

“Guys come up to me and say, ‘That’s my guy.’ I already know. It’s been super cool. He’s got a different way about him,” said Wilson, who played with Fields at Ohio State. “He’s more quiet when it comes to getting to know people. It’s not going to be that first day, but when it does click it’s like, ‘Man, this dude is super cool, like super cool.’ ”

Fields spent the spring winning over his new Jets teammates and establishing himself as a leader. It comes with the job description of being an NFL quarterback, and Fields knows it.

“I kind of had a feeling when I got here, guys were looking for a leader to step up on offense, so I was glad to receive that role, and of course been pushing the guys each and every day to be our best and play up to our standard,” Fields said.

But Fields is a much different leader than Aaron Rodgers, his predecessor at the position. Coach Aaron Glenn has praised the “quiet confidence” Fields projects. There was nothing quiet about Rodgers.

“I take to him because he is authentic and he’s himself,” Glenn said of Fields. “It’s one thing that players can pick out is someone that’s fake, and there’s nothing about him that’s fake. So, I love everything about the player, I love everything about the way he carries himself.”