Justin Fields Backing Patrick Mahomes Until ACL Return a Smart Move, Says Mina Kimes

The Kansas City Chiefs sent a sixth-round pick to the New York Jets to trade for quarterback Justin Fields.

Justin Fields Backing Patrick Mahomes Until ACL Return a Smart Move, Says Mina Kimes

Justin Fields to back up Patrick Mahomes (Image via Dov Kleiman/Bleacher Report/X)

In Short
  • Justin Fields has been traded to the Kansas City Chiefs to serve as a backup until Patrick Mahomes returns from injury.
  • The Chiefs acquired Fields on a team-friendly contract, paying him just $3 million after the Jets covered most of his previous salary.
  • The New York Jets now hold 10 draft picks for the 2027 NFL Draft, indicating a shift towards rebuilding their team.

After last season, it almost felt as if Justin Fields‘ career was done after his struggles with the New York Jets led some to believe the quarterback would never get another chance at being a starter.

The franchise signed him to a two-year contract, hoping he would get enough time in the position to come true on the potential many touted him to possess before he came through in the draft.

Game after game, the team, fans, and members of the media waited for him to excel, only to be left disappointed. Some felt his lackluster effort was due to the way the Jets were struggling as a team.

After seven straight losses, even owner Woody Johnson could not stop himself from criticizing his team’s lead signal-caller. Eventually, after the streak snapped, Justin Fields poured out his emotions, suggesting he has been dealing with a lot.

The NFL can sympathize, but they do not stand by if the performance does not match the words coming out of the QB’s mouth. Eventually, that led to him being benched, and many felt his career at the position was done.

This is a low-risk signing… This is an opportunity for him… to pursue the Sam Darnold path… This is an opportunity for him, not only to learn under the best… but also rebuild his value at QB. I love it for both sides.

Mina Kimes said on NFL Live

The ESPN analyst pointed out how Fields, with his experience as a starter, will help the Chiefs hang in there until Patrick Mahomes returns from his ACL tear. That will benefit both the Ohio State alum and his new team.

Chiefs paying bare minimum for Justin Fields

Even though Patrick Mahomes is out injured, the Kansas City Chiefs leaned on him to create some cap space before free agency started. To facilitate their offseason plans, they also traded away Trent McDuffie and released OT Jawaan Taylor.

Jets will absorb most of Justin Fields' salary
Jets will absorb most of Justin Fields’ salary (Image via GameBlazers/X)

Armed with that much capital, they then signed Super Bowl LX MVP, Kenneth Walker. They also used that money to bring back Travis Kelce for one more season.

Then, for them to pay Justin Fields just $3 million was as cheap as they could get. Good backups cost money, and last season’s QB2, Gardner Minshew, leveraged his experience with the Chiefs to sign a one-year deal worth $5.75 million with the Arizona Cardinals.

Fields’ salary last season was $20 million, not a number the Chiefs could work with. That is why they tempted the Jets with a 2027 sixth-round pick so that they would pay the bulk of his salary.

That draft pick might not mean much for the Chiefs, who are clearly trying to retool rather than go through a complete rebuild. However, it means a lot to the Jets, and that is what helped the former land Justin Fields on a team-friendly contract.

After Justin Fields’ trade, Jets hold 10 2027 draft picks

While the Kansas City Chiefs are almost making it clear that they are gunning for Super Bowl LXI, the New York Jets seem to be on a completely different trajectory.

Other than Justin Fields’ struggles, last season was still one of the worst in the franchise’s already murky history. They could not get anything going either on offense, defense, or even special teams.

Despite that, it is a wonder how they did not end up with the No. 1 overall pick. However, after trading Fields, it is clear that the franchise does not care about this season.

They look like they will happily skip No. 1 prospect Fernando Mendoza for another player who can be a building block. Then, they will probably target the 2027 NFL draft, where they can pick and choose from an army of quality QB prospects.

Now, after garnering their 10th 2027 draft pick from this Fields trade, it is also clear that the franchise is looking to build through the draft, both this year and next.

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