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Jets trade former starting QB to the Chiefs

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By James Gruter | Last updated Mar 16, 2026 2:24 PM ET

Around this time one year ago, the New York Jets began the Justin Fields experiment. There was excitement surrounding this move, given his connection to the Jets’ superstar wide receiver, Garrett Wilson. Fields himself was also rather successful when he started in Pittsburgh the previous season. Fast-forward to now, and it is clear that the experiment failed. Fields was benched multiple times in 2025 and ended up passing for only 1,257 yards, rushing for 383 yards, and totaling 11 touchdowns. It felt like a foregone conclusion that he would be released at some point this spring; however, Darren Mougey had other plans. He was able to swing a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Jets received a 2027 6th-round draft selection.

Financial Ramifications

The Jets weren’t going to get this done without doing something similar to the Raiders with Geno Smith just last week. In that trade, the Raiders paid all but $3.3 million of Smith’s salary. This made it very cheap for the Jets to roster him this season. The Jets will be doing the same favor for the Chiefs in the Justin Fields trade. The Chiefs will only be on the hook for around $3 million for Fields, while the Jets pay the other $7 million of his salary. By doing this, the Jets actually save more money than they would have had they just released him.

The Jets are paying all but $3M of Fields' $10M guaranteed salary — so they're actually saving more money on this deal than they would've by simply releasing him. https://t.co/mmWWbP5t3r

— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) March 16, 2026

This Paves the Way for a Backup QB Addition

Now that Justin Fields is out of the picture, the Jets QB room consists of Smith, Brady Cook, and Bailey Zappe. The backup job is still wide open, given that Cook did not play well in his opportunities in 2025 and Bailey Zappe was only signed to a futures deal. Around the start of free agency, Carson Wentz was the favorite to end up in this position. However, the noise has quieted on that front as Wentz weighs all of his options. There are not a lot of attractive options left on the free agent market. The relevant names include Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo, and the 2025 backup for Gang Green – Tyrod Taylor. Taylor seems like the most likely out of the free agent pool.

The trade market could be where things heat up for the Jets. Some backups that are/could be available include Anthony Richardson, Will Levis, Andy Dalton, and Joe Milton. Richardson is the one in this small grouping who is available. The other three are mostly speculative, Dalton and Levis more so than Milton. Levis is firmly behind Cam Ward on the Titans’ depth chart and could be a candidate for a fresh start. The Panthers brought in Kenny Pickett this offseason so that Andy Dalton may be offloaded. Milton is an interesting one, as Dallas is high on him, but they did bring in Sam Howell. The draft remains an option as well, specifically on Day 3.

Darren Mougey is a Mad Man

Simply put, Justin Fields was one of the worst quarterbacks to take a snap across the entire league in 2025. As mentioned earlier, it was a foregone conclusion that he would be cut. The fact that Darren Mougey was able to get a draft pick for him is simply incredible. It’s not even a bad thing that it’s in 2027 either, as that draft class is highly touted as one of the most talent-rich ever. Couple this with the fact that the financials of it all aren’t horrible either, and this adds to an ever-growing list of positive trades that the Jets GM has made since taking over. It certainly feels like the Jets are in great hands with him at the helm of it all.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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