The New York Jets have agreed to trade quarterback Justin Fields to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. The deal is still pending a physical.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report: “Trade: the New York Jets are finalizing a deal that will send QB Justin Fields to the Kansas City Chiefs, pending a physical, per ESPN sources. Other teams were interested, but Fields’ preference was to go to Kansas City.”
According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, as part of the agreement, New York will absorb most of Fields’ 2026 salary. The Jets will cover all but $3 million of the $10 million guaranteed on his contract, a move that saves the team more money than releasing him outright.
The move comes after the Chiefs lost their previous No. 2 quarterback, Gardner Minshew, who signed with the Arizona Cardinals. Kansas City plans to use Fields as a backup to star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered late last season. Mahomes has said he is aiming to return by Week 1, but Fields could see significant offseason work and potentially start early in the season if the recovery timeline changes. Kansas City also has Chris Oladokun and Jake Haener under contract.
Originally selected 11th overall by the Chicago Bears in the 2021 NFL Draft, Fields, 27, spent three seasons in Chicago before being traded to the Steelers in 2024. He went 4-2 as a starter there before yielding the job to Russell Wilson. Fields started nine games for the Jets last season after signing a two-year deal with the team in 2025. His debut was promising — he completed 16 of 22 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 48 yards and two scores in a narrow 34-32 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers — but his performance declined as the season continued.
In several starts, Fields struggled to produce through the air and was benched multiple times during the year. At one point during the Jets’ 0-7 start, owner Woody Johnson publicly blamed the quarterback for the team’s struggles. Fields later helped guide the Jets to their first win of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals.
For the year, Fields completed 62.7% of his passes for 1,259 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception while adding 383 rushing yards and four scores. He also missed one game with a concussion and eventually lost the starting job late in the season to Tyrod Taylor.
Meanwhile, New York is moving forward with Geno Smith as its starting quarterback after acquiring him in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders. Smith returns to the franchise that originally selected him in the 2013 NFL Draft.
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