The Kansas City Chiefs have the luxury of an extra starting-caliber quarterback in Justin Fields on the roster ahead of the NFL trade deadline, which is looming just over six weeks from now.
Patrick Mahomes returned for Week 1 and has thrown for more than 800 yards along with seven TDs during the team’s undefeated start. Meanwhile, Garrett Nussmeier looks like a seventh-round steal and an already capable backup QB in the event Mahomes needs someone to step in for him.
Those two developments render Fields’ presence in the Kansas City QB room superfluous. And while the team spent big in both the draft and free agency to bolster the defensive line, the results have not been there since the unit tallied four sacks against the Denver Broncos in the season opener. In fact, the Chiefs have zero sacks as a team in the two games since.
“They left [Dolphins QB Malik Willis] unbothered in the pocket, free to take his time and find someone,” Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star wrote Sunday of the Chiefs’ defensive line. “A week ago, the Chiefs blamed their lack of pass rush on an inability to force third-and-distance spots. They forced plenty this week. The Dolphins made the most of them.
“The Chiefs put a lot of resources into improving their defensive line this offseason,” McDowell added. “It popped in the season opener. It’s disappeared since.”
The solution is as plain as day: execute a trade with the New York Giants flipping Fields in return for pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Kayvon Thibodeaux Getting Minimal Usage in New York
New York has a surplus of pass-rushers. As a result, they have played Thibodeaux just 59 snaps over the first two weeks.
Meanwhile, the Giants lost quarterback Jaxon Dart for the season to a knee injury he suffered against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2. Jameis Winston stepped in and led New York to a Week 3 victory over the Tennessee Titans (12-7) that ended on a Cam Ward interception in the Giants‘ end zone.
ESPN insiders Adam Schefter, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported on Sunday, September 27 that Fields is part of the list of five QB candidates New York has its eye on as a replacement for Dart/challenger to Winston for the starting role.
And there is nothing Winston did later on Sunday afternoon against the Titans that is likely to change the Giants’ opinion on bringing in competition, as he threw for 118 yards on 14-of-22 passing and the offense mustered all of four made field goals.
“QB2 is now QB1 for New York, and how hard the Giants push to acquire a veteran quarterback will be determined, in part, by how Winston performs Sunday against the Tennessee Titans,” ESPN’s insiders wrote.”Giants coach John Harbaugh said ‘all options are open’ for which quarterback his team will bring in.
“Sources told ESPN and NFL Network that the list of quarterbacks includes free agent Jimmy Garoppolo, Cardinals backup Gardner Minshew II, Vikings reserve J.J. McCarthy, 49ers backup Mac Jones and Chiefs backup Justin Fields,” they continued.
Justin Fields-Kayvon Thibodeaux Trade Makes Perfect Sense if Giants Throw in Late Draft Pick
Thibodeaux is on the final year of his rookie contract, a fifth-year team option worth just shy of $15 million that the Giants exercised in the late spring of 2024. He entered this season with 31 tackles for loss and 23.5 total sacks across 53 games played in four years.
Fields is also on the final season of his two-year, $40 million contract. He is 16-37 as a starter across 60 total appearances over five NFL seasons. Fields has thrown for 9,039 yards, 52 TDs and 32 INTs and rushed for nearly 2,900 yards and 23 scores.
Neither player is the right fit for his current roster, but each would make perfect sense on the opposite team. And neither Thibodeaux or Fields is likely to return to his current situation from free agency next spring.
The Giants are in a desperate spot and the quarterback position is more valuable than pass-rusher, so the Chiefs could probably also negotiate a Day 3 draft pick, or the like, in return alongside Thibodeaux.
But once the teams iron out the details, the deal makes plenty of sense on both sides of the equation.
Chiefs Trade Pitch Flips Justin Fields for $15 Million Pass-Rusher