The Kansas City Chiefs made a big investment when they traded for quarterback Justin Fields, and now the team is getting some clarity on what role he could play behind Patrick Mahomes this season.
The former first-round pick will back up Mahomes and could potentially take the field to start the season if Mahomes isn’t fully returned from the torn ACL and LCL that cut short his 2025 season. But the Chiefs may be hoping for Fields to play a more developmental role, an insider shared, with hopes that Mahomes may not end up missing any time.
In a mailbag column published this week, SI.com insider Albert Breer called the trade for Fields a “great business arrangement” that will allow Fields to develop behind an excellent coaching staff while giving the Chiefs an insurance policy for Mahomes.
“He gives Kansas City depth and an experienced stand-in with real upside for Andy Reid to mine,” Breer wrote. “The Chiefs give him a year of development and the shot to take starter reps in a championship program through the spring and summer, while Patrick Mahomes rehabs his knee injury.”
Fields could potentially start in the season opener, though Breer predicted it won’t come to that.
“I’d bet on Mahomes getting back for Week 1, so that’d make the likelihood that Fields is spending the 2026 season entirely as a backup, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” Breer wrote.
Hopeful Signs for Patrick Mahomes
There is growing optimism that Mahomes will indeed be ready to start the season for the Chiefs. As reporter Nate Taylor of ESPN noted, the Chiefs quarterback shared a video on Wednesday showing him working out and throwing.
As Taylor added, Mahomes has reached an important point in his rehab.
“Wednesday’s checkpoint for Mahomes was significant for him — and for the Chiefs — because he had his surgery 100 days ago,” Taylor reported. “Dr. Dan Cooper, the Dallas Cowboys‘ head team physician, performed the surgery back in December. During the procedure, Dr. Cooper also repaired the torn LCL in Mahomes’ left knee, a league source told ESPN.”
Mahomes went down in December, suffering an injury in the team’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers that also eliminated them from playoff contention.
Mahomes has plugged along in his rehab since then, previously saying that he was on track to start the season — as long as his rehab remained on schedule.
“The doctors said I could, but I can’t predict what happens throughout the process.” Mahomes said then. “That’s the goal, to play Week 1 and have no restrictions. You want to be out there healthy and give us the best chance to win. I hope to do some things in OTAs and training camp and be able to do things there.”
The Chiefs already have some other important pieces in place for the 2026 season. They brought back tight end Travis Kelce, who contemplated retirement before signing a new contract extension. If Fields does have to play some at the start of the season, he will at least have a steady target in the future Hall of Fame tight end.
Chiefs Get Clarity on Plans for New $3 Million QB