Former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields has played for three teams in his first five years in the NFL. He will make it four in six seasons in 2026.
According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, the New York Jets have agreed to trade Fields to the Kansas City Chiefs. According to the report, the Chiefs will send a 2027 sixth-round draft pick to New York in exchange for the 27-year-old quarterback.
The financial structure of the deal makes it highly favorable for Kansas City. The Jets have reportedly agreed to pay all but $3 million of Fields’ $10 million guaranteed salary for the 2026 season. New York, having recently acquired veteran quarterback Geno Smith, had been widely expected to move on from Fields. By finalizing a trade rather than releasing him, the Jets salvage a future draft asset while granting Fields his preferred destination.
For the Chiefs, the acquisition provides insurance at the game’s most important position. Franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes is recovering from a torn ACL and LCL suffered last December. With uncertainty surrounding Mahomes’ availability for the start of the regular season and 2025 backup Gardner Minshew departing for the Arizona Cardinals in free agency, Kansas City needed an experienced veteran capable of running the offense, at least through offseason workouts. Fields offers high upside and will immediately step in to take the bulk of the offseason snaps in head coach Andy Reid’s system.
This trade marks the latest stop in what has been a turbulent professional journey. Selected No. 11 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, Fields spent his first three seasons in the Windy City. His tenure was highlighted by a spectacular 2022 campaign in which he rushed for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns, cementing himself as one of the most dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks in the league. However, struggles with consistency in the passing game led Chicago to trade him to the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of the 2024 season to make way for rookie Caleb Williams.
In Pittsburgh, Fields performed admirably, piloting the Steelers to a 4-2 record in six starts before taking a back seat once Russell Wilson recovered from a calf injury. Seeking a fresh opportunity, Fields signed a two-year deal with the Jets in March 2025. He started nine games for New York last season, compiling a 2-7 record while completing 62.7 percent of his passes for 1,259 yards, seven touchdowns and just one interception.
Despite the rollercoaster nature of his NFL career, Fields remains a revered figure in the college football world. After beginning his collegiate career at Georgia, he transferred to Ohio State, where he evolved into a star and future first-round draft pick. Under head coach Ryan Day, Fields was a two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. He led the Buckeyes to consecutive College Football Playoff appearances, including a six-touchdown performance against Clemson in the 2021 Sugar Bowl that propelled Ohio State to the national championship game.
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Now heading to Kansas City, Fields has a rare opportunity to rehabilitate his career in one of the NFL’s premier offensive ecosystems. Whether he is called upon to start early in the season or serve as an understudy to Mahomes, Fields brings raw talent and experience to an already dangerous Chiefs roster.
