Justin Fields using preseason time with Chiefs to prove himself

Once a first-round pick hyped to be the face of the Chicago Bears' franchise, Justin Fields is now looking to prove himself during the preseason with the Kansas City Chiefs. 

While Fields didn't make any major mistakes in his start on Saturday, he also failed to lead his team into the end zone as the Chiefs lost 16-15 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He completed 9-for-12 passes for 64 yards and then added another 15 on the ground. 

Justin Fields was good, not great, in his preseason start for the Chiefs  

Fields left the game with an 86.8 quarterback rating. This came after he was a perfect 4-for-4 through the air with 41 passing yards in the Chiefs' preseason opener, a 20-12 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 15. 

Even though Fields, still young at 27, has shown some flashes, especially his ability to scramble outside of the pocket and extend plays, of the player the Bears once believed in before giving up and trading him to the Pittsburgh Steelers in March 2024, he knows that he'll be on the sidelines once the regular season kicks off. 

Fields' career went downhill once the Steelers decided not to invest in him

Fields was 4-2 in six starts with the Steelers, throwing for 1,106 yards and running for 289. He scored 10 total touchdowns to only two turnovers (one interception, one fumble lost). But the Steelers wavered in their belief in Fields as someone they wanted to invest in, letting him walk away and sign a two-year deal with the New York Jets. 

One rough season in New York later, he posted a 2-7 record, and Fields was only able to find a backup job with Kansas City. 

Fields knows he's not going to play with the Chiefs barring an injury to Patrick Mahomes

Despite enduring knee surgery that derailed his 2025 season, Patrick Mahomes was a full participant in training camp and is expected to be under center on Sept. 14 against the rival Denver Broncos. 

However, Fields is hoping that his preseason film can impress someone and help earn him another opportunity to start again in the NFL, even if that has to wait at least a year to be a possibility.