The New York Jets made a head-scratching decision Monday to trade quarterback Justin Fields to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2027 sixth-round pick. The 27-year-old played just nine games for the franchise that signed him to a two-year $40 million deal to be its starter in 2025, and now he's headed elsewhere.
TRADE: Jets trading QB Justin Fields to Chiefs. (via @tompelissero) pic.twitter.com/U2FB50ZYf8
— NFL (@NFL) March 16, 2026
Fields' ouster comes just a week after the Jets acquired their 2013 second-round pick, Geno Smith, from the Las Vegas Raiders. The pair of swaps signals Jets leadership would prefer a 35-year-old who last wore their shade of green in 2016 over a passer with higher upside who simply had an unfortunate first year under center.
Kansas City will be Fields' fourth team in six seasons, officially making him an NFL journeyman. He likely won't see the field in 2026, however, as his role will largely be an insurance policy should starter Patrick Mahomes suffer a setback or additional injury (he's currently on track to recover from a torn ACL by the start of next season).
If we've learned anything from successful comeback stories by former first-round quarterbacks, Fields has hit his rock bottom — which indicates his meteoric rise could be right around the corner.
Is Justin Fields the next Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield?
The most recent examples of career resurgences by previously disappointing quarterbacks can be seen in Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold. The latter just won a Super Bowl in his second year removed from being a backup in San Francisco.
While Fields may not be on that exact trajectory (yet), he sits in a very similar situation to both passers. Mayfield and Darnold were both on their third teams when they downgraded to backup status, but got opportunities to prove they were still much more than that.
Mayfield thrived with the Los Angeles Rams — after being traded from the Carolina Panthers — in 2022 when Matthew Stafford missed eight games due to multiple injuries. His 850 yards, four touchdowns and two picks in five starts was enough to convince the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to bet on the No. 1 overall pick in 2018 as their starter, and he's led them to two NFC South titles in the three seasons since.
Darnold, picked just two spots after Mayfield in 2018, only got one start for the 49ers in 2023 as he sat behind Brock Purdy — but his ability to understand and thrive within his role was noticed by the Minnesota Vikings. Again, he was signed as an insurance policy to 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, but head coach Kevin O'Connell had to cash out before the season started. Darnold played up to his first-round potential and more with 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 picks. Minnesota thought it was a fluke and let him walk right to a Lombardi Trophy with Seattle.
Fields doesn't appear to be on the verge of leaping from Mahomes' backup to Super Bowl champion elsewhere. But he's certainly got an opportunity, like Mayfield and Darnold, to prove he's not a career backup.
Fields put up 1,259 yards, seven touchdowns and only one interception last year in nine appearances. Like Mayfield and Darnold, it wasn't actually a terrible tenure from a stats point of view, but he mostly was derailed by a season-ending knee injury after only managing to go 2-7 as a starter. You've got to win in the NFL, and he wasn't doing enough of it.
The pressure to win will be off in Kansas City if Mahomes is starting. But if the two-time Super Bowl MVP isn't ready to go by Week 1, Fields' comeback story may have to start a little early.