Chiefs Acquire Former First-Round Quarterback from Jets
As reported by Adam Schefter, the Kansas City Chiefs have sent a 2027 sixth-round pick for New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields. This season, the Chiefs will absorb $10 million of his $23 million cap hit, a significant investment for a player expected to serve primarily as a backup to Patrick Mahomes II. This will be Fields’ fourth team in four seasons after the Chicago Bears selected him with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Many draft experts touted Fields as the second-best quarterback of his class behind current Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, but he has yet to live up to the hype.
For the Jets, this deal comes as no surprise, given the struggles of both the team and Fields last year. The Jets finished just 3-14 last season, tied for the worst mark in the league, and Fields only played in nine of their 17 contests, both because of being benched in favor of backup Tyrod Taylor and a knee injury he sustained late in the season. While Fields’ numbers don’t look all that bad as he finished with 1,259 yards and seven passing touchdowns to one interception, the eye test made it clear that he was not the solution to New York’s issues. This was one of the reasons the Jets traded a 2026 sixth-round pick for their former quarterback, Geno Smith, who was on the Las Vegas Raiders last year. The Jets are still very much rebuilding, and Fields will no longer be part of it, even after they gave him a two-year, $40 million contract last offseason.
On the Kansas City side, this move feels very interesting. The Chiefs recently lost backup quarterback Gardner Minshew II to free agency, and Fields will likely be taking his place. As mentioned earlier, the Chiefs will pay him $10 million this season, meaning that he will likely be more than just a backup this season. On December 14th, 2025, Mahomes tore his ACL in a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, and it is unclear whether he will be ready to play in Week One of 2026. This trade signifies that the Chiefs are preparing for this possibility and want an experienced starter who has at least shown flashes of talent. It’s completely up in the air whether Fields will start for Kansas City in 2026, but if he does, many will be curious to see what such a promising quarterback can do with a coach like Andy Reid.
