Chiefs acquire Justin Fields lottery ticket amid Patrick Mahomes uncertainty

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes seemingly wants everyone to know he is serious about being in the lineup for the team's 2026 regular-season opener after he underwent surgery to repair the torn ACL and torn LCL he suffered in the middle of December 2025. 

It appears the Chiefs wanted some insurance just in case Mahomes' recovery doesn't go quite as he hopes. 

Chiefs make small investment in Justin Fields as Patrick Mahomes continues his recovery

On Monday morning, NFL Network insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported that the Chiefs will be sending a 2027 sixth-round draft pick to the New York Jets in return for quarterback Justin Fields. Fields signed a two-year, $40M deal with $30M guaranteed to join the Jets last offseason, but he was benched due to poor play this past fall. The Jets recently acquired journeyman veteran Geno Smith to serve as their 2026 Week 1 starter. 

"The Chiefs are taking on $3M of the $10M Fields was guaranteed in 2026," Rapoport and Pelissero added. 

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, multiple teams were interested in landing Fields. However, his "preference was to go to Kansas City" to work with legendary head coach Andy Reid.

Will joining Chiefs help Justin Fields complete a needed career reset?

Despite Schefter's update, there's no indication that a team currently without a proven long-term answer at quarterback (such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals) would have handed Fields a starting job this spring. On paper, he should be an upgrade over current Kansas City backups Chris Oladokun and Jake Haener. Fields also shouldn't be tasked with serving as any kind of franchise savior for a team that has Mahomes, a future Hall of Famer, cemented atop its depth chart. 

During the 2024 season, the Steelers created special packages for Fields when they preferred to have veteran Russell Wilson as their first-choice starter. Perhaps Reid and returning offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy will eventually add a new page or two to the playbook for Fields-related packages, but the Chiefs may first need to get the 27-year-old ready to make a handful of starts if Mahomes can't play until later in the fall.