“Throwing is Obviously a Question Mark”: Pat McAfee Decodes Justin Fields to Kansas City Trade

Patrick Mahomes may be hoping for a Week 1 return in 2026 after tearing both his ACL and LCL in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers, but the underlying belief has always been that the Kansas City Chiefs would need a contingency plan. As of Monday afternoon, it now seems as if the former New York Jet, Justin Fields, is the plan.

In response to ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirming that the Chiefs would be sending a sixth-round draft pick in exchange for the journeyman quarterback, Pat McAfee promptly suggested that the franchise would likely be relying on Fields to start the regular season.

“It would be crazy,” McAfee noted in reference to the idea of Mahomes being at 100% by September 9th.

“Just like the Daniel Jones talk about him being able to be back for Week 1 is seemingly crazy, but obviously, these guys are incredible workers and incredible athletes. Congrats to Justin Fields… We assume Andy Reid will be able to make the most of his talents… Throwing is certainly a question mark… But I think it’s good news for Justin Fields.”

It may not have been a trade that anyone was anticipating, but it seems to be a net positive for everyone involved. The Jets get to move on from Fields after a season in which their owner, Woody Johnson, openly slammed him in the media, the Chiefs find a relatively young and ambitious short-term replacement for Mahomes, and Fields gets the pleasure of working with three-time Super Bowl champions.

As hinted at by McAfee, the ability to work with a head coach like Reid, as well as a tight end who’s as decorated as Travis Kelce, could very well unlock what remains of Field’s potential. After years of dysfunction in Chicago, a frustrating season in Pittsburgh, and an even worse time in New York, he’ll now have the privilege of seeing what a winning franchise looks and feels like.

At this point in his career, that’s a behind-the-scenes access pass that you can’t put a price on. Nevertheless, Kansas City did anyway, and it’ll only mean that they had to cover $3 million of Field’s guaranteed money that was owed by the Jets.

“He didn’t necessarily blow up the stat sheet,” McAfee admitted. “But any time he has the ball in his hands, and he’s running, he’s potentially the most athletic person on the field.”

That may be a far cry from the play style that Kansas City has grown accustomed to with Mahomes, but it should be enough to help the Chiefs skate past the early parts of the season, and at a bargain bin price at that.