Andy Reid assesses trade acquisition of QB Justin Fields

Justin Fields will get another fresh start with the Kansas City Chiefs, this time as the primary backup to Patrick Mahomes. The former first-round pick out of Ohio State has bounced around in his career, but Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is fond of the dual threat QB.

In fact, as Mahomes recovers from ACL surgery and rehabs his way back for 2026, Fields might be in line to start at the beginning of the season under center. Reid is confident Fields has the tools to be successful in the Kansas City offense.

It’s not just Fields filling in for Mahomes. Reid expects Fields to be good enough to win some games until the three-time Super Bowl champion is good to go.

“Well, we snuck out and got a good quarterback to back him up,” Reid said, via Judy Battista of NFL Media. “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.”

Fields appeared in only nine games during the 2025 season for the New York Jets. He completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 1,259 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception while adding 383 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

His season was cut short when he suffered a knee injury and was placed on injured reserve following a Nov. 13 matchup against the New England Patriots. The Jets struggled throughout the year, finishing 3–14 overall and going 2–7 in games started by Fields.

“This is for any player that doesn’t have the season we would like for them to have. It’s always disappointing,” head coach Aaron Glenn said in December of Fields. “I don’t want to focus on Justin with this. Any player that we have high hopes for, and the season doesn’t go the way we wanted to go, we’re always disappointed in that.”

Fields was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He played three seasons with the franchise, starting 38 games and going 10-28. The team elected to draft Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in 2024 and shipped Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he went 4-2 as a starter while backing up Russell Wilson most of the year.

Over the course of his career, Fields has had his ups and downs. He has 9,039 yards, 52 touchdowns, 32 interceptions, a 61.4% completion percentage, 2,892 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns in 59 career games (53 starts).