Patrick Mahomes is currently recovering from a torn ACL.
That makes the trade the Kansas City Chiefs pulled off on Monday a perfectly logical one — and also makes their acquisition of Justin Fields from the New York Jets even more intriguing.
Not only is Fields bringing his immense athletic talent to the Chiefs. He also could be the Week 1 starter.
It's not a given that Mahomes will be ready. If he's not, it would be Fields out there to open the 2026 season.
And there will certainly be a lot of Fields with the first-string offense in the summer, because Mahomes certainly will still be working his way back to full health as training camp gets underway.
It's a great opportunity for Fields, but it also raises the question of how Mahomes is doing.
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Patrick Mahomes injury recovery timeline
All along, Mahomes has been given a chance to start Week 1.
At the time of the Fields trade, that appears to still be the case.
ESPN's Adam Schefter wrote this on X on Monday morning:
"Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is recovering from a torn ACL. Justin Fields now will get ample reps during the off-season and training camp, and could potentially play early in the season depending on Mahomes’ recovery."
Essentially, the door has been left open either way.
It's certainly a solid insurance policy for Kansas City.
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