Jets receive better grade than Chiefs for Justin Fields trade from ESPN

The New York Jets came into the offseason needing to change their offense and defense in a major way. They've done so through the first week of free agency.

One of the more important positions to address was quarterback, and they've already begun to shake things up by trading for Geno Smith and trading away Justin Fields to the Kansas City Chiefs. That Fields trade landed the Jets $3 million in savings and a 2027 sixth-round pick.

Seth Walder of ESPN handed out grades for both the Jets and Chiefs for this Fields trade. The final grades for this deal strongly favored the Jets, as they got a B+ from Walder, while the Chiefs got a C+ for this deal.

Jets get better grade than Chiefs for Justin Fields trade

"Is Fields the right person to handle the pre-Mahomes part of the 2026 season? And if not, did they need to make this trade? It's possible the answer to both is no," Walder writes.

The Chiefs' side of this trade might have been better suited for a different backup quarterback. There were better options available this offseason than Fields for the early-season starts while Patrick Mahomes is out due to injury.

While there are questions negatively from the Chiefs' perspective, from the Jets' side of things, there aren't any major questions from this trade.

"Would they have found a trade partner if the Chiefs didn't step up? It's possible," Walder writes. "But if not, they would have almost certainly released Fields and not received any draft compensation."

More: Jets traded for Geno Smith instead of signing him in free agency to avoid worst-case-scenario

Fields was a very likely cut-candidate this offseason, and yet, the Jets were able to not only find a trade partner who could help the Jets save $3 million of the $10 million guaranteed to Fields in 2026, but also land a decent 2027 sixth-rounder in return.

The only reason why the Chiefs should've done this trade was if there was another team willing to trade for Fields this offseason. After his struggles in 2025, throwing for under 60 passing yards in four of his nine starts, it's hard to imagine there was a lot of interest.

The Chiefs might've gotten ahead of themselves with this trade, as they might have been able to land Fields for the veteran minimum had they let the Jets cut him, and Fields given the chance to play in Kansas City with Andy Reid and Mahomes.

But, for the Jets side of this trade, it's a massive win. They save $3 million and land a free sixth-round pick in a strong 2027 NFL Draft class. There's no downside to this deal for the Jets, while there are some questions for the Chiefs' side of this QB trade.

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