Chiefs taking major risk continuing Justin Fields experiment behind Patrick Mahomes amid injury recovery

The 2025 NFL campaign was a disaster for the Kansas City Chiefs. After losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX following the 2024 season, the Chiefs missed the playoffs in 2025. To add insult to the campaign, Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in December. Mahomes has not been able to play in the preseason, but hopes to be available for Week 1.

With Mahomes still recovering from injury, Justin Fields has been the starting quarterback. Fields has not performed well so far in the preseason, something that Jesse Newell of The Athletic pointed out.

“It hasn’t been a great training camp for quarterback Justin Fields, and while Saturday wasn’t a disaster, it still wasn’t a real step forward, either. Fields completed 9 of 12 passes for 64 yards while also taking a costly 20-yard sack on a third-and-goal from the Bucs’ 7,” Newell wrote.  “It sure seems as if the Chiefs have plans to use Fields some as a short-yardage weapon this season — especially with quarterback Patrick Mahomes recovering from December knee surgery. It’s unclear where the team’s confidence in Fields as a passer is right now, though, especially with a growing preseason sample size.”

Fields did not show much in the first preseason game. He went four for four with 41 yards. Fields also ran for nine yards on two carries. He then went nine for 12 for 64 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fields was sacked twice while also running for 15 yards on one carry. He has not shown a ton so far, and the Chiefs have lost both games. With Fields not playing great and questions around the health of Mahomes, the Chiefs need to consider replacing him as the backup.

Who could be the backup for the Chiefs? 

The hope for the Chiefs is that Mahomes will be ready for Week 1. The first option for the Chiefs is Garrett Nussmeier, the seventh-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Nussmeier went 13 of 19 for 98 yards in his first preseason game. He was not great in the second preseason game either, going just nine of 17 for 74 yards. He was a solid passer in college, but never showed an ability to run the ball in college. If the plan is to use Fields in short-yardage situations, Nussmeier would not be a good replacement for Fields. If Mahomes were 100 percent healthy, having him as the backup may not be as big of a risk, but that is not the case currently.

The Chiefs may want a young player behind Mahomes who could be good in short-yardage situations. Diego Pavia is available and fits that description. Pavia ran for 3,094 yards and 31 touchdowns in his FBS career. Still, he has not always been an amazing passer. Another option is Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo has not officially decided to call it a career, but he has not signed with a team. If the Chiefs could convince him to come out of retirement, they would have a great passing option who has starting experience, with 64 career starts under his belt.

There are also players such as Jeff Driskel and Dorian Thompson-Robinson on the market, but if the Chiefs do decide to make a move, they need to do is soon.