With Patrick Mahomes on the mend from a torn ACL suffered in December, there’s a chance he may not be ready to return for the start of the regular season.
With that in mind, Kansas City has now made a move to solidify its backup quarterback position.
The Chiefs are finalizing a trade to acquire Justin Fields from the Jets, according to multiple reports.
Kansas City will send a 2027 sixth-round pick to New York to complete the deal.
Via Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, the Chiefs will pay $3 million of the $10 million Fields was guaranteed in 2026, with the Jets paying the rest to facilitate the trade.
Fields, 27, signed a two-year deal with the Jets last March. He started nine games for New York in 2025, with the club going 2-7 in those games. Fields completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 1,259 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception. He rushed for 383 yards with four TDs.
The No. 11 overall pick of the 2021 draft, Fields has appeared in 59 games with 53 starts for the Bears, Steelers, and Jets. He rushed for 1,143 yards with eight touchdowns in 2022, though he also took a league-high 55 sacks that year. Fields played well with the Steelers in 2024, piloting the club to a 4-2 record in the games he started. But Pittsburgh elected to roll with Russell Wilson at QB once he recovered from a calf injury.
Fields will now be in position to take the bulk of the offseason reps as Mahomes recovers.
Garnder Minshew, Kansas City’s backup in 2025, recently signed with the Cardinals. The Jets traded for Geno Smith last week, putting him in position to start for New York in 2026.
