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Deemed expendable after the addition of Geno Smith, former New York Jets starter Justin Fields is being traded Monday to the Kansas City Chiefs, pending a physical, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Chiefs are sending the Jets a 2027 sixth-round pick, a source said.
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 Las Vegas Raiders are paying him $16.2 million.
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With Patrick Mahomes rehabbing from ACL surgery in December, Fields could see immediate playing time for the Chiefs. When Mahomes is ready, Fields will be the backup. Gardner Minshew, who backed up Mahomes last season, signed with the Arizona Cardinals last week.
Behind Smith as the starter, the Jets also have quarterbacks Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe on the roster.
Fields’ departure was long-anticipated, as he struggled in his only 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.
The Jets signed Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract ($30 million guaranteed) last March 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 Aaron Glenn/Darren Mougey era.
Just like the Jets, who went 3-14, Fields flopped.
Fields’ contract will be restructured, and the Jets will absorb a large portion of his $10 million guarantee. Before the restructure, the Jets were on the hook for $10 million in cash salary (the remaining portion of his guarantee).
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, 27, 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 now 16-37 as a starting quarterback.
