The Kansas City Chiefs made a big move this offseason to be prepared in case star quarterback Patrick Mahomes begins the 2026 NFL season on the injured list.
The Chiefs sent a 2027 sixth-round draft pick to the New York Jets in exchange for quarterback Justin Fields. Fields will back up Mahomes, unless the three-time Super Bowl champ isn’t ready to answer the bell in early September.
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According to Kansas City head coach Andy Reid, though, Mahomes is making steady progress in his injury rehab. Mahomes tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee during a Dec. 15 game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“He’s doing great,” Reid told NFL senior national columnist Judy Battista, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. “He spends a ton of time in the building. … He’s in there for seven hours a day. It’s showing, the progress. Now, to tell you a timeline? I mean, I know what he’s striving for. We’ll just see where it goes from there.”
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Meanwhile, Fields has started 53 games in five seasons, split between the Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers and Jets. He went 2-7 in nine starts for the Jets in 2025, completing 62.7 percent of his passes for 1,259 yards, seven touchdowns and an interception.
Fields’ best season came in 2022 with the Bears. He started 15 games, throwing for 2,242 yards and 17 scores and rushing for 1,143 yards and eight more touchdowns.
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Reid said he is confident the Chiefs can win with Fields behind center, if necessary.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) scrambles against Los Angeles Chargers safety Tony Jefferson (23). | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
“Well, we snuck out and got a good quarterback to back him up,” Reid said of Mahomes. “So, if he doesn’t, you know, if he’s not able to make it for the beginning of the season, then we know we’ve got a legitimate backup there that can go win games for us.”
In 2025, Mahomes threw for 3,587 yards and 22 touchdowns, the lowest totals of his career since becoming the full-time starter. Ultimately, the Chiefs stumbled to a 6-11 record.
The NFL season begins Wednesday, September 9, when the Seattle Seahawks host an as yet undetermined opponent.
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