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The Justin Fields revival in New York is over. The Justin Fields revival in Kansas City can begin.
The New York Jets signed Fields in 2025 in the hope he could be either a bargain franchise quarterback or a viable bridge to the future. He turned out to be neither, dealing with injury and eventually getting usurped by Tyrod Taylor after a promising start.
Rather than try again with another depleted roster in 2026, the Jets opted out. They dealt the former first round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs, who'll give Fields a chance to top the depth chart while Patrick Mahomes recovers from the torn ACL he suffered in Week 15. He'll battle with incumbent QB2 Chris Oladokun to be Mahomes' understudy after the latter moved up from third-string duties following Gardner Minshew's torn ACL to end 2025.
It's a modest deal, but one that could keep the Chiefs in contention for a playoff spot while Mahomes recovers or doom the franchise to a second-straight early vacation come January. Let's break it down.
Chiefs: C+
Minshew was in the same recovery timeline even before signing with the Arizona Cardinals. Oladokun's offenses scored 34 total points across the three games he was the team's primary quarterback. There was a hole to be filled. Fields brings starting experience and, having just turned 27 years old, still may not have hit his ceiling in the NFL.
He also hasn't eliminated the bad habits that have kept him from emerging as a viable starter for a playoff team. Fields still hangs on to the ball too long, processing reads slowly and then panicking as the pocket closes around him.
His time to throw -- the gap between having the ball snapped and getting rid of it -- has never dipped below 2.9 seconds for a season in his NFL career (the league average is about 2.6 seconds). He has been sacked on nearly 12 percent of his dropbacks. There's a viable dual threat run-and-gun quarterback underneath all that mess, but getting him to show up for more than a game at a time is a challenge.
Trading for Fields means an $11 million salary cap hit will be shifted to western Missouri. That's $4 million more in average salary than the highest-paid primary backup QB will get this fall (Davis Mills). It's a high price to pay, but one that builds in Fields' utility as a starter early in the season. Is Fields that much better than someone like Geno Smith, who could have been signed as a free agent (though he may have wanted a clearer runway to start) or similar trade options like Kenny Pickett or Spencer Rattler?
Time will tell. Fields still has untapped potential, but has yet to turn sparks into a flame. He'll be undoubtedly playing under the most accomplished coaching staff of his career in Kansas City, even if the supporting cast leaves questions to be answered. If the Chiefs can't make him a league-average quarterback, it's time to accept it won't happen.
Jets: B
New York got modest value back for a player who stunk in green and white. The franchise excised $11 million from its salary cap in the process. Swapping out Fields for Smith, who was traded for sixth and seventh-round picks before signing a restructured one-year, $3.3 million deal to return to the franchise that drafted him, brought in a higher-floor veteran at a lower cost.
This does not mean the Jets will be good. Their current quarterback room is Smith (37th among 40 qualified QBs when it came to expected points added), Brady Cook (two touchdown passes, seven interceptions and an 0-4 record as an undrafted rookie) and Bailey Zappe (is Bailey Zappe).
But they wouldn't have been good with Fields either. Effectively swapping him for Smith will provide stability and keep New York's skill players from losing their minds. At least in theory.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Justin Fields trade grades: Did Chiefs find Patrick Mahomes' fill-in?
Continue reading...
The New York Jets signed Fields in 2025 in the hope he could be either a bargain franchise quarterback or a viable bridge to the future. He turned out to be neither, dealing with injury and eventually getting usurped by Tyrod Taylor after a promising start.
Rather than try again with another depleted roster in 2026, the Jets opted out. They dealt the former first round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs, who'll give Fields a chance to top the depth chart while Patrick Mahomes recovers from the torn ACL he suffered in Week 15. He'll battle with incumbent QB2 Chris Oladokun to be Mahomes' understudy after the latter moved up from third-string duties following Gardner Minshew's torn ACL to end 2025.
It's a modest deal, but one that could keep the Chiefs in contention for a playoff spot while Mahomes recovers or doom the franchise to a second-straight early vacation come January. Let's break it down.
The trade:
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- Chiefs get: QB Justin Fields
- Jets get: 2027 sixth round draft pick
Grades
Chiefs: C+
Minshew was in the same recovery timeline even before signing with the Arizona Cardinals. Oladokun's offenses scored 34 total points across the three games he was the team's primary quarterback. There was a hole to be filled. Fields brings starting experience and, having just turned 27 years old, still may not have hit his ceiling in the NFL.
He also hasn't eliminated the bad habits that have kept him from emerging as a viable starter for a playoff team. Fields still hangs on to the ball too long, processing reads slowly and then panicking as the pocket closes around him.
His time to throw -- the gap between having the ball snapped and getting rid of it -- has never dipped below 2.9 seconds for a season in his NFL career (the league average is about 2.6 seconds). He has been sacked on nearly 12 percent of his dropbacks. There's a viable dual threat run-and-gun quarterback underneath all that mess, but getting him to show up for more than a game at a time is a challenge.
Trading for Fields means an $11 million salary cap hit will be shifted to western Missouri. That's $4 million more in average salary than the highest-paid primary backup QB will get this fall (Davis Mills). It's a high price to pay, but one that builds in Fields' utility as a starter early in the season. Is Fields that much better than someone like Geno Smith, who could have been signed as a free agent (though he may have wanted a clearer runway to start) or similar trade options like Kenny Pickett or Spencer Rattler?
Time will tell. Fields still has untapped potential, but has yet to turn sparks into a flame. He'll be undoubtedly playing under the most accomplished coaching staff of his career in Kansas City, even if the supporting cast leaves questions to be answered. If the Chiefs can't make him a league-average quarterback, it's time to accept it won't happen.
Jets: B
New York got modest value back for a player who stunk in green and white. The franchise excised $11 million from its salary cap in the process. Swapping out Fields for Smith, who was traded for sixth and seventh-round picks before signing a restructured one-year, $3.3 million deal to return to the franchise that drafted him, brought in a higher-floor veteran at a lower cost.
This does not mean the Jets will be good. Their current quarterback room is Smith (37th among 40 qualified QBs when it came to expected points added), Brady Cook (two touchdown passes, seven interceptions and an 0-4 record as an undrafted rookie) and Bailey Zappe (is Bailey Zappe).
But they wouldn't have been good with Fields either. Effectively swapping him for Smith will provide stability and keep New York's skill players from losing their minds. At least in theory.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Justin Fields trade grades: Did Chiefs find Patrick Mahomes' fill-in?
Continue reading...
