Justin Fields is headed to Kansas City. The New York Jets are finalizing a trade that will send quarterback Justin Fields to the Kansas City Chiefs, pending a physical, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday morning.
Multiple other teams expressed interest in Fields, but his preference was specifically to go to Kansas City. The Jets will receive a 2027 sixth-round pick in return, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The Jets will pay $7 million of the $10 million Fields is still owed on his contract, meaning the Chiefs are acquiring a 26-year-old quarterback at a dramatically reduced cost.
What Is Fields’ Outlook In Kansas City?
Fields is not going to Kansas City to start. Patrick Mahomes is the quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, has won three Super Bowls there, and is signed long-term.
Fields is going as the backup, the most talented backup quarterback in the NFL, joining a franchise that has been to the Super Bowl in five of the last six seasons.
For Fields, the appeal is clear. He gets to learn behind the best quarterback in football, compete in a winning environment, rebuild his value, and position himself for a potential starting job elsewhere down the road, or, in the unlikely event something happens to Mahomes, step into the most high-profile role in the sport.
It is a calculated move from a player who has had a complicated career to this point and clearly had strong opinions about where he wanted to land.
The Chiefs had already signed Gardner Minshew as a backup option this offseason. Fields upgrades that position significantly.
Fields’ Career To This Point
Fields is one of the more fascinating and frustrating quarterbacks of his draft class. Selected 11th overall by the Chicago Bears in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, he spent three seasons in Chicago before being replaced by Caleb Williams.
His numbers as a rusher were consistently elite, he is one of the most dangerous running quarterbacks in the game, but his passing development stalled in an organization that could not build around him.
He moved to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, where he split starting duties with Russell Wilson.
Then he signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Jets last offseason to succeed Aaron Rodgers, and the 2025 season was a disaster.
Fields threw for 1,259 yards, 7 touchdowns and 1 interception in nine starts while leading the Jets to a 2-7 record.
A concussion in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills opened the door for Tyrod Taylor to start for a stretch before Fields returned. By year’s end, the Jets were done with him after just one season.
The trade return, a 2027 sixth-round pick, reflects how dramatically his value had fallen.
A player selected 11th overall four years ago was moved for one of the least valuable picks in the NFL. The Jets also absorbing $7 million of his remaining salary tells the full story of how badly that relationship had broken down.
According to The Athletic’s Zach Rosenblatt, releasing Fields outright would have cost the Jets a $22 million dead cap hit and saved them only $1 million against the cap, which is why the trade, even for a sixth-round pick, was the better option.
What This Trade Means For The Jets
The Jets are now in full rebuild mode at quarterback. With Fields gone, New York enters the offseason needing to find a new direction under center, whether through free agency, the draft, or another trade.
The 2026 NFL Draft begins April 23 in Pittsburgh, and the Jets hold picks that could be used to address the position.
Fields is the third team in three seasons for a quarterback who, at 26, still has time to find his footing.
Kansas City, with its infrastructure, coaching staff, and winning culture, is the best possible environment for him to do that. Whether he ever starts again in the NFL remains to be seen. For now, he is a Chief.
