Justin Fields
Getty
Adam Schefter revealed why the Chiefs pulled off a trade with the Jets for Justin Fields
The Kansas City Chiefs have been aggressive when it comes to rebuilding their roster early on this offseason, and that continued on Monday when they pulled off a surprise trade with the New York Jets for Justin Fields. In exchange for the dual-threat quarterback, the Chiefs sent a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Jets.
With Patrick Mahomes as the team’s quarterback, any move at the quarterback position is going to turn heads. However, Mahomes suffered a torn ACL and LCL late in the 2025 campaign, which could cause him to miss time early in 2026. And according to NFL insider Adam Schefter, it sounds like that was the primary motivation for Kansas City when it comes to making this trade.
Why Did the Chiefs Trade for Justin Fields?
Patrick Mahomes suffered his season-ending knee injury on December 14. At a minimum, adding Justin Fields allows him to take the bulk of the reps during offseason workouts and potentially into training camp as Mahomes continues to recover in hopes of being ready for the regular… https://t.co/f7ffXP9rDq
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2026
Mahomes is obviously one of the top quarterbacks in the league, so when he’s healthy, he’s going to be on the field for the Chiefs. As he recovers from this serious injury, though, there’s no guarantee that he’s going to be ready for the start of the new season, and with Gardner Minshew IV departing for the Arizona Cardinals in free agency, that made finding a proper backup quarterback a big need for the team.
That led them to Fields, who got benched in 2025 with the Jets. It didn’t seem like he’d be earning any snaps in 2026 either, as the team pulled off a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders for Geno Smith earlier this offseason. A former first-round pick, Fields has upside, but he’s struggled to find any sort of consistency early on in his career.
Given Mahomes’ injury situation, it makes sense that the team decided to acquire Fields. However, as the move indicates, the Chiefs may not believe that Mahomes will be ready for the start of the season, and according to Schefter, that line of thought may have been the reason why K.C. felt a need to acquire Fields.
“Patrick Mahomes suffered his season-ending knee injury on December 14,” Schefter wrote in a post on X. “At a minimum, adding Justin Fields allows him to take the bulk of the reps during offseason workouts and potentially into training camp as Mahomes continues to recover in hopes of being ready for the regular season.”
Did the Chiefs Win the Justin Fields Trade?
Justin Fields, Jets
GettyFormer New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields reacting in the middle of an NFL game against the Cleveland Browns.
It’s always tough to declare an immediate winner and loser in trades, but it’s not too hard to see why the Chiefs made this trade. Mahomes’ injury status is uncertain, and while they could have rolled into the season with Chris Oladokun and Jake Harner as their two healthy quarterbacks, acquiring Fields gives them a better shot at winning should Mahomes not be ready to go.
A future sixth-round pick isn’t exactly a high price to pay, and the Jets are eating $7 million of Fields’ $10 million salary in order to facilitate this move. Even if Fields doesn’t take a snap for Kansas City, it will have a chance to develop him behind the scenes and potentially trade him for a higher draft pick. As a result, it’s tough to look at this trade and say that the Chiefs did a bad piece of business.