Who Will Be the Chiefs Week One Starter in 2026 if Their 30-Year-Old Star QB Isn’t Ready?
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. With Kansas City Chiefs starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes II tearing his ACL in December of last season, there are many questions as to whether he will be able to return and bounce back from his injury in 2026. Given the nine months between December and the beginning of the season in September, there is certainly time for him to return. However, the Chiefs, like any competent organization, must be prepared for all outcomes. This is why the team traded for quarterback Justin Fields from the New York Jets and drafted Garrett Nussmeier out of LSU in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft. This begs the question, who will be their starter in Week One if not their future Hall-of-Fame quarterback?
The easy answer to this question would, of course, be Fields. Drafted 11th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, Fields has bounced around the league quite a bit as Kansas City will be his fourth stop in four years after his stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024 and the Jets in 2025, respectively. This would mean that he would have a much easier time learning a new playbook quickly than the rookie, but to put it simply, there is a reason Fields has so much experience learning new playbooks. In five seasons, Fields has never averaged more than 200 passing yards per game and has struggled with fumbling issues, failing to live up to the hype he had coming out of Ohio State. That being said, some of Fields’ greatest strengths are his athleticism and rushing ability as a quarterback. In 2022, became the third quarterback to ever rush for over 1,000 yards in a season after Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson, and has consistently been a stronger rusher since. He has a convincing case to be Kansas City’s starting quarterback in place of Mahomes in 2026.
On the flip side, Nussmeier enters the fold with a strong passing reputation. In his only full season as a starter in 2024, he threw for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns, leading the Tigers to a 9-4 season and a 44-31 Texas Bowl win over Baylor. There is some promise there, but as was alluded to earlier, this did not show itself as much in 2025. That season, he went just 5-4 in a tumultuous season for LSU that included head coach Brian Kelly and offensive coordinator Joe Sloan being fired after eight games. Nussmeier was benched after nine games with an abdominal injury that had been bothering him all season and was likely the reason he slid to the seventh round of the draft instead of the top half of the draft, where NFL insiders projected him. Be that as it may, Nussmeier is 24 years old, meaning that he is young enough that the injury may not bother him much, and his draft slide could mean that the Chiefs got superb value for him.
There are certainly arguments to be made for both sides, but the most likely outcome is that Fields would get the start, allowing Nussmeier to recuperate and learn behind the veteran. The Chiefs have plenty of talent on offense, such as new running back Kenneth Walker III, young wide receivers Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice, and future Hall-of-Fame tight end Travis Kelce. Furthermore, the Chiefs have one of the better offensive lines in football, which would give plenty of time for Fields or Nussmeier. If the Kansas City Chiefs want their best shot of winning, though, they are going to want Patrick Mahomes back.
