Justin Fields, the 26-year-old quarterback for the New York Jets recently spoke at a press conference where he discussed his deepening faith. Fields first signed with the Chicago Bears in 2021, where he was met with high expectations from a team desperate to make a dent in the playoffs. Those expectations, however, didn’t pan out and Fields was traded to the Steelers in 2024. Fields did well during his season with the Steelers, filling in for Rusell Wilson for six starts while he was injured. Fields has now signed to be the Jets’ starting quarterback for this upcoming season. He addressed how he has grown through his career. “I think I used to let other people’s opinions shape mine. But you can’t do that because you’ll start thinking like those opinions,” he said. “I’m glad I’ve grown out of that stage, and I’m glad that the only approval I need now is from my teammates, my coaches and ultimately God.”

One major change that has helped Fields in his spiritual journey is his increased Bible reading. “I’ve been getting closer to God — reading the Bible every day, building that relationship. There’s so much wisdom and so many great lines I didn’t even know about,” he said. “Honestly, I’m low-key addicted to like getting my Bible each and every day just because I learn something new every day, and I’m able to apply it to my everyday life.” It’s something Fields said he wishes he had started sooner. “I was sleeping on reading the Bible earlier in my life. I wish I would have started earlier. So, I encourage y’all to go read a little bit. Start in Proverbs and move on from there”

Fields’ new focus has also helped him escape some of the approval-seeking he fell into early in his career. “”I don’t play for anybody’s approval. You guys are all gonna have your opinion and I’m never gonna take any of it personal. Like I said, it doesn’t matter. Y’all can have an opinion, y’all can say this and that, but at the end of the day our lives aren’t gonna change. If I say something to y’all right now, the same thing’s gonna happen,” he said. “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. God controls everything that happens in this world. I just let people be and let them speak.”