Justin Fields trade grades for Chiefs, Jets

On Monday morning, the Kansas City Chiefs opted to shake things up by trading for New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields, as reported by Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network on X, formerly Twitter. In return, the Chiefs will be sending New York a sixth round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Let’s take a look at how both sides fared in the deal.

Chiefs’ trade grade

The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t sure yet whether or not star quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be ready once the 2026 season gets underway. Mahomes has indicated his plan to be the starter for the first game of the season, but the torn ACL he suffered last year toward the end of the season is not anything that Kansas City will want to rush him back from.

This may explain why the team was willing to take a swing on Fields, a former first-round pick out of Ohio State who suffered through a brutal 2025 season with the Jets, but still possesses talent and NFL experience. Fields did a solid job of holding down the fort for Russell Wilson with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, and he has shown an ability to run an offense competently and extend plays with his legs. The key for the Chiefs will not be asking him to do too much.

Losing a sixth-round pick in 2027 is a worthwhile price to pay if it means the Chiefs have acquired a decent insurance policy for Mahomes.

Grade: A-

Jets’ trade grade

The New York Jets were clearly done with Justin Fields by the time they benched him midway through the 2025 season. Funnily enough, Fields’ tenure in New York started with a bang when he torched the Steelers in Week 1 last year, but things quickly went south from there, ultimately culminating in this inevitable breakup.

While a 6th round pick in a future draft may not be anything to write home about, the Jets were clearly willing and able to get out of the Fields business by any means necessary, and the gaping hole that now exists at their quarterback position is something that will have to be addressed later this offseason.

Overall, this move represents the organization cutting its losses and salvaging an asset in return.

Grade: B+

The post Justin Fields trade grades for Chiefs, Jets appeared first on ClutchPoints.