QB Justin Fields explains why the Chiefs have him so excited for a ‘new start’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Justin Fields said he was excited for a new start after joining the Chiefs via trade.
- Reid called Fields a 'legitimate starting quarterback' while Mahomes rehabs.
- Fields said he hadn't seen the playbook and will prepare as if starting over five months.
A compelling case could be made that the Kansas City Chiefs’ backup quarterback role is more important right now than it’s been since Patrick Mahomes took over as the starter in 2018.
Over the span of those eight seasons, like any player, Mahomes has sustained injuries, but nothing like this — a torn ACL and LCL that has his Week 1 status in question.
Understanding the gravity of the situation, the Chiefs chose 27-year-old Justin Fields, who they acquired via trade by sending a 2027 sixth-round pick to the New York Jets.
“I was excited,” Fields said on a Zoom call Tuesday with local KC media. “I was excited for a new start. Of course, the tradition here, the culture here, the guys that are here in the building, the experience — it was all in one. So definitely excited and excited to be here and to learn and just to get things going.”
The new start comes as a welcome one for Fields, whose NFL journey has been turbulent.
Fields began his career as the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, when the Chicago Bears traded up in a deal that included a future first-round pick to get him. Three years later, the Bears sent him to the Pittsburgh Steelers as they prepared to draft his replacement, Caleb Williams.
In Pittsburgh, with Russell Wilson injured to start the 2024 season, Fields played well enough to guide the Steelers to a 4-2 record. But with Pittsburgh’s offense hovering around the middle of the pack in scoring, then-head coach Mike Tomlin replaced Fields with Wilson once he was healthy.
Finally a free agent ahead of the 2025 season, Fields signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the New York Jets. But the Jets’ 2-8 start eventually saw him benched for Tyrod Taylor in Week 12.
Enter Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who has rarely hesitated to offer a clean slate to talent he believes in.
“Coach Reid, he’s been in the NFL a long time, has had a lot of success and (is) very smart,” Fields said. “That was a deciding factor for me and an exciting factor for me when I came here. And then, Pat — we knew of each other, but we didn’t really communicate before coming here, so I’m excited to learn from him. “I’m already kind of picking his brain a little bit and just observing how he goes about things in the meeting room on the field and stuff like that. So I’m excited to learn and excited to work with coach Reid, (Eric Bieniemy) and all the guys on offense.”
On Monday, Reid was candid in his notion that he sees Fields as a “legitimate starting quarterback,” expressing full confidence in him. With Mahomes still rehabbing, the head coach will be tasked with positioning Fields to win games if he needs to start early in the 2026 season.
As of Tuesday, Fields said he hadn’t even seen the playbook yet, but he was ready to dive in and prepare over the next five months as if he were the starter.
“I think regardless of me starting or being a backup, I’m gonna attack the day the same way,” he said. “My goal is to get better each and every day any way I can, so I think you do have to look at that (possibility), but my mindset going into each day doesn’t change.”
In just a few days in Kansas City, Fields said he already understands why the Chiefs have won so much over the past decade. He noted that 99% of the team is currently in the building for the voluntary first phase of the offseason program.
That will be the mindset the club needs as it attempts to reset from a lost 2025 season, as well as the mindset Fields will need as he tries to reset what was once viewed as a promising NFL career.
In 53 career starts, Fields has won only 16 games, but it would be difficult to deny the flashes where he has looked like one of the most exciting players in the league.
“I’ve grown in a lot of spaces,” Fields said. “Of course, my goal each and every year is to continue to improve. From a mind perspective of me knowing the game, of my knowledge of the game, I’ve definitely improved there, and skill-wise, too.”
Fields’ game-changing dual-threat ability has been undeniable. The problems have arisen from slow processing of opposing defenses — an area in which Reid could reasonably offer a breakthrough.
“I’ve had a lot of coaches, but I’ve been in a lot of offenses as well,” Fields said. “I’m just learning the different offenses, seeing the different schemes and just being in each offense and learning the mindset and just the intentionality and what we want to get done in each offense.
“I’ve learned a lot and I’m expecting to learn more here. And like I said, I’m excited to be here, and I can’t wait for the season to get going.”
