The Kansas City Chiefs traded for Justin Fields on Monday. The embattled former first-round pick has now landed on his third team in three years. The New York Jets signed him in free agency last year, but he didn’t last the season as the starter. Now, he’s in Kansas City for the price of a conditional sixth-round pick.
Chiefs snag Justin Fields while waiting for Patrick Mahomes
The Kansas City Chiefs traded for Justin Fields because of Patrick Mahomes’ torn ACL. That, and their former backup, Gardner Minshew, signed with the Arizona Cardinals. They’re expecting someone, now Fields, to have to make some starts next year.
Fields has bounced around. He had a shot with the Chicago Bears, but they moved on in favor of number one overall pick Caleb Williams. He started for the Pittsburgh Steelers while Russell Wilson recovered but couldn’t hold the job. The New York Jets benched him last season.
The Chiefs would love to have Mahomes back, but it’s not terribly likely. Fields represents a short-term stopgap at the position while they wait, and a capable backup once Mahomes does get back. They’re different QBs, but Andy Reid can make it work.
“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.”
Obviously, returning in Week 1 after suffering a torn ACL in Week 15 is a tall task. The recovery takes a minimum of six months, and Mahomes also tore his LCL in the same injury. His knee is banged up pretty bad, and six months feels way too idealistic.
At worst, it can take an entire year. If that’s the case, Mahomes may not play at all. Assuming the Chiefs aren’t somehow competitive without him, then playing weeks 15-18 off a major knee injury in a lost season would be foolish.
Reality sets in
The reality likely falls somewhere in the middle. Nine months is a normal recovery time, but that means he won’t be ready until the middle of September, which is a few weeks into the regular season. He’s going to miss some time in 2026.
“He spends a ton of time here, seven hours a day,” Reid said after the 2025 season. “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.”
Still, as hard as he might be working to recover, it’s a difficult road back. Sometimes, players are never the same. Mahomes isn’t a running quarterback, but he is pretty mobile and creative. Those two things could be impacted by a slightly weaker knee moving forward.
It’s no surprise the Jets wanted to move on from Fields. He was benched last year. “It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that he’s got,” Jets owner Woody Johnson said after seven losses. “I mean, he has ability, but something just is not jiving. … If we can just complete a pass, it would look good.”
Plus, the Jets added Geno Smith. He’s not great at this stage in his career. He is, however, an upgrade over Fields. He will serve as the bridge for the next rookie the Jets draft. Fields could’ve been that, but it didn’t work out.
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