Chiefs QB Justin Fields Reveals What Drew Him to Kansas City

Two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes is the Kansas City Chiefs‘ starting quarterback until further notice, but he might not be QB1 to start next season.

Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL last December. While he’s already posted a video showing him dropping back and throwing, and his rehabilitation is going wonderfully by all accounts, it’s far from a guarantee that the three-time Super Bowl champion will be ready to start for Week 1 in early September.

The Chiefs traded for former New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields last month. After Gardner Minshew signed with the Arizona Cardinals in free agency, the Chiefs needed a backup quarterback, but Fields would also be an intriguing substitute for Mahomes in Andy Reid’s offense if it comes to that.

Fields met with the Kansas City media for the first time on Tuesday, and he shared his mindset around potentially being the Chiefs’ Week 1 starter.

“I think regardless of me starting or being a backup, I’m gonna attack the day the same way,” Fields said. “My goal is to get better each and every day any way I can, so I think, of course, you do have to look at that, but my mindset going into each day doesn’t change.”

Fields also explained why he wanted to come to the Chiefs.

“If I’m honest, I didn’t talk to any coaches before choosing to come here,” Fields said. “I chose to come here, or I wanted to come here, because of the culture, because of Pat, and to learn from him and learn from Coach Reid.”

Fields starred at Ohio State before the Chicago Bears drafted him 11th overall in 2021. He showed athletic flashes, especially as a runner, throughout his tenure in Chicago, but his passing statistics were underwhelming, and he had a 10-28 record across three seasons as the Bears’ starter.

The Bears traded Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers in March 2024, and Fields actually looked his best in the six games he started for Pittsburgh: 1,106 yards and five touchdowns on 65.8% completion with a 4-2 record.

The Steelers benched Fields in favor of veteran quarterback Russell Wilson, a move Albert Breer reported at the time was controversial inside the building.

Fields signed with the Jets in March 2025, and as is often the case with the Jets, it did not go well. He was benched in November.

Maybe he’ll have to start to begin the season, maybe he won’t. Regardless, Fields, who is still only 27, has the chance to learn under Mahomes and retool his career in Kansas City.

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This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 7:43 PM.