FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Justin Fields heard all the criticisms — and occasional kudos — that came his way from fans and media during his first four NFL seasons.
The New York Jets quarterback would let it affect him, too. It would even shape his own opinions about his play and abilities.
No more.
“I just let people be and let them speak,” Fields said after a joint practice with the Giants on Tuesday. “That’s not going to affect me whatsoever.”
But it used to, he acknowledged.
“I would say I just kind of got like this the past six months, to be honest with you,” Fields said.
It was a somewhat surprising revelation from Fields, given the ups and downs he has had during his NFL journey since being the 11th overall pick by Chicago out of Ohio State in 2021. He went from the hopeful franchise quarterback of the Bears to out the door after only three seasons, traded to Pittsburgh last year.
He started for an injured Russell Wilson and went 4-2 in six games for the Steelers before seeing the bench again in favor of the veteran — who's also now in New York, but with the Giants. During this past offseason, Fields signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the Jets — who immediately labeled him their new starter.
Coach Aaron Glenn has regularly praised Fields' confidence and maturity, calling him “a mature man” Tuesday and adding that “the outside noise does not bother him.”
That, however, has been a process.
“A lot’s gone into that, to be honest,” Fields said. "I would say experiences, for sure. But also, I think my relationship with God. I don’t play for anybody’s approval. You guys are all going to have your opinion and I’m never going to take any of it personal. Like I said, it doesn’t matter. Y’all can have an opinion, y’all could say this and that, but at the end of the day, our lives aren't going to change.
“If I say something to y'all right now, the same thing’s going to happen. It doesn’t really affect life, it doesn't affect the way we live. So, if you look at it from that perspective, the bigger perspective, no matter what anybody says, it doesn’t matter at the end of the day. It has zero meaning to me, to anybody, and God controls everything that happens in this world.”
While the 26-year-old Fields didn't detail the events that triggered his religious re-awakening, he acknowledged that the Bible has been even more impactful than any playbook.
“Yeah, I mean, me really getting closer to God, like I said, my relationship, me reading the Bible every day,” he said. "And if I’m being real, there are some great lines and great wisdom that I didn’t even know of. So I’m low-key addicted to getting in my Bible each and every day just because I learn something new every day and I’m able to apply it in my everyday life.
“But, I mean, I was sleeping on reading the Bible earlier in my life and I wish I would have started earlier. So I encourage y’all to, you know, go read a little bit. Start in Proverbs and move on from there.”
When asked if he believes that will ultimately help him be successful, Fields didn't hesitate.
“I know it will,” he said. “I know it will, for sure.”
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New York Jets' Justin Fields warms up before during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)
New York Jets' Justin Fields is congratulated after running for a touchdown during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)
New York Jets' Justin Fields thorws during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation on Saturday sought to reassure Denmark and Greenland of their support following President Donald Trump's threat to punish countries with tariffs if they don’t back the U.S. taking over the strategic Arctic island.
Delegation leader Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, said the current rhetoric around Greenland is causing concern across the Danish kingdom. He said he wants to de-escalate the situation.
“I hope that the people of the Kingdom of Denmark do not abandon their faith in the American people,” Coons said in Copenhagen, adding that the U.S. has respect for Denmark and NATO “for all we’ve done together.”
Meanwhile, thousands of people marched through Copenhagen, many of them carrying Greenland’s flag, on Saturday afternoon in support of the self-governing island. Others held signs with slogans like “Make America Smart Again” and “Hands Off.” Another rally was planned in Nuuk, the Greenlandic capital,
Coons' comments contrasted with that emanating from the White House. Trump has sought to justify his calls for a U.S. takeover by repeatedly claiming that China and Russia have their own designs on Greenland, which holds vast untapped reserves of critical minerals. The White House hasn’t ruled out taking the territory by force.
“There are no current security threats to Greenland,” Coons said.
Trump for months has insisted that the U.S. should control Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, and said earlier this week that anything less than the Arctic island being in U.S. hands would be “unacceptable.”
During an unrelated event at the White House about rural health care, he recounted Friday how he had threatened European allies with tariffs on pharmaceuticals.
“I may do that for Greenland, too,” Trump said. “I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that,” he said.
He had not previously mentioned using tariffs to try to force the issue.
Earlier this week, the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland met in Washington this week with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
That encounter didn’t resolve the deep differences, but did produce an agreement to set up a working group — on whose purpose Denmark and the White House then offered sharply diverging public views.
European leaders have insisted it is only for Denmark and Greenland to decide on matters concerning the territory, and Denmark said this week that it was increasing its military presence in Greenland in cooperation with allies.
“There is almost no better ally to the United States than Denmark,” Coons said. “If we do things that cause Danes to question whether we can be counted on as a NATO ally, why would any other country seek to be our ally or believe in our representations?”
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Associated Press writer Stefanie Dazio in Berlin contributed to this report.
People gather for a pro- Greenlanders demonstration, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Emil Helms/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
People gather for a pro- Greenlanders demonstration, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Emil Helms/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
People march during a pro- Greenlanders demonstration, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Emil Helms/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
Icicles hang from the roof of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A Danish serviceman walks in front of Joint Arctic Command center in Nuuk, Greenland, on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Senator Chris Coons from the Democratic Party speaks during a press conference with the American delegation, consisting of senators and members of the House of Representatives, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
