The Kansas City Chiefs made a big investment in their quarterback room after Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending injury, landing veteran Justin Fields in a trade.
Though it appears the Chiefs may not need Fields to suit up as Mahomes remains on a steady path back to the field, one NFL analyst believes the team would be in solid hands with Fields.
Justin Fields Earns Offseason Praise
SI.com’s Gilberto Manzano ranked all of the NFL’s backup quarterbacks, putting Fields at No. 8. Though he noted Fields has had some issues with accuracy in the past, he believes the Chiefs will be the best situation for him.
“Fields has been an erratic passer since entering the league as a 2021 first-round pick of the Bears, but heâs also never been coached by the innovative Andy Reid,” Manzano wrote.”
Manzano added that the Chiefs would be comfortable turning to Fields if Mahomes happens to take longer than expected returning from a torn ACL that cut short his 2025 season. It could also give Fields a chance to redeem the early struggles in his career, which was mostly spent with teams that had poor supporting casts.
“If it turns out that the Chiefs need Fields early in the season to give Patrick Mahomes more time to make a full recovery from his knee injuryâthough itâs not looking that way with Mahomes participating in OTAsâthat could be the ideal scenario for Fields to show what he can do with a strong supporting cast,” Manzano wrote. “He didnât have that in Chicago to start his career or with the Jets last year, and letâs not forget that coach Mike Tomlin was pretty set on giving Russell Wilson the starting job in Pittsburgh when he returned to health.”
Strong Signs for Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes has said throughout the offseason that he plans to take the field in the team’s season opener, though head coach Andy Reid and the team’s front office have been a bit more measured in their projections. Mahomes took a big step forward late last month when he took the field for the team’s OTAs, which Reid had hinted beforehand would be a big step.
âIf he can do some things, [heâll do it]. Phase 2 [of the offseason program], remember, thereâs no contact and thereâs no offense versus defense,â Reid said, via Bleacher Reportâs Andrew Peters. âItâs Phase 3 that you get into that. ⦠Heâs in a position where he can do everything, I think.â
Reid added last month that Mahomes had more steps to take before he could return to the field.
âItâs a day-to-day thing, and as long as he keeps making progress forward, maybe weâll have a chance to see him in the first game. But weâll play that as we go,â Reid said.
The Chiefs head coach also expressed confidence in Fields in the case that Mahomes isn’t ready.
âWe snuck out and got a good quarterback to back [Mahomes] up,â Reid said. âIf [Mahomes is] not able to make it for the beginning of the season, then we know weâve got a legitimate backup there that can go win games for us.â
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