There is very little in common between the old concept of "ether" and any quantum field. Analogies like the mattress model described in the article are helpful

There is very little in common between the old concept of "ether" and any quantum field. Analogies like the mattress model described in the article are helpful in some ways (like describing particles as excitations or ripples in the field, as here), and misleading in others (like making people think that there's some fixed medium for fundamental wave propagation).