The Kansas City Chiefs found their newest backup quarterback for Patrick Mahomes on Monday, agreeing to send a 2027 sixth-round pick to the New York Jets to acquire Justin Fields, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Fields, 27, wanted to continue his career in Kansas City, although other teams were interested in acquiring him, the sources told Schefter, after the Jets last week acquired quarterback Geno Smith in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders to be their new starter in 2026.
To facilitate the trade, the Jets are paying $7 million of Fields’ $10 million 2026 guaranteed salary, a source told ESPN. Kansas City will pay the remaining $3 million, much like the Jets did when they traded last week for Smith. As part of that trade, the Jets will pay Smith $3.3 million while the Raiders are paying him $16.2 million.
Mahomes, a nine-year veteran, is rehabbing after he had surgery in December to repair the torn ACL and LCL in his left knee, his most significant injury since he joined the Chiefs in 2017. While Mahomes is hoping to be available for the Chiefs’ season opener, Fields is a mobile quarterback who will take on the responsibility of operating the offense, under coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, during the offseason and likely much of training camp.
“I want to be ready for Week 1,” Mahomes said in January. “The doctors said I could, but I can’t predict what happens throughout the process. That’s the goal, to play Week 1 and have no restrictions. You want to be out there healthy and give us the best chance to win. I hope to do some things in OTAs and training camp and be able to do things there.”
Before the trade, one of the biggest holes in the Chiefs’ roster was at backup quarterback. Without an experienced veteran after Gardner Minshew signed with the Arizona Cardinals last week, the other quarterbacks on the depth chart were Chris Oladokun and Jake Haener, who combined have started just three games.
Last month, Reid said that Mahomes has been diligent in rehabbing with athletic trainer Julie Frymyer, who helped him play through a significant left ankle injury during the Chiefs’ memorable 2022 postseason run, which ended in a comeback victory in Super Bowl LVII.
“He spends a ton of time here, seven hours a day,” Reid said then of Mahomes. “He’s in there cranking away and making progress every day. It’s great to see. Julie grinds on him and makes sure he stays on task and challenges him. He keeps showing up. That’s about half the battle on these things when you have these injuries.
“It’s not going to be a pleasant thing. Every day, you’ve got to fight through it, and you’ve got to attack the challenge of the workout and rehab. He’s doing a great job with that.”
Deemed expendable after the addition of Smith, Fields’ departure from the Jets was long-anticipated. He struggled in his lone season with the Jets and was benched Nov. 17. He never saw the field again, finishing the year on injured reserve with a knee ailment that flared up after his demotion, ending another disastrous chapter in the Jets’ long, winding search for a winning quarterback.
Last year, the Jets signed Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract, including $30 million guaranteed, in free agency, betting that he’d be able to overcome a career of inconsistent passing. It was the signature acquisition in year one of the era with coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey.
Just like the Jets, who went 3-14, Fields flopped.
Before Fields’ contract was restructured, the Jets were on the hook for $10 million in cash salary, the remaining portion of his guarantee. Behind Smith, they also have quarterbacks Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe on the roster.
Fields went 2-7 as the starter, ranking 31st out of 36 passers in Total QBR (37.3), based on a minimum of 200 attempts. He finished with seven touchdown passes, one interception and 1,259 passing yards, including only 505 yards in his last five starts.
His days appeared numbered in October, when owner Woody Johnson blamed the team’s 0-7 start on Fields.
“It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that he’s got,” Johnson said. “I mean, he has ability, but something just is not jiving. … If we can just complete a pass, it would look good.”
Fields shrugged off the criticism, saying he didn’t pay it any attention. That happened in Week 8, when he was on the verge of being benched. As it turned out, Glenn had to stay with Fields because backup Tyrod Taylor had a knee injury that flared up later that week.
Fields responded with his best game of the season, throwing for 244 yards in a comeback win over the Cincinnati Bengals. But it was downhill from there.
A 2021 first-round pick by the Chicago Bears, Fields is 16-37 as a starting quarterback. The Chiefs will be Fields’ fourth team in four seasons.
