The Las Vegas Raiders, by all accounts, have massively improved their outlook this offseason. Rome wasn't built in a day, but if most of the team's moves work out in practice as they would seem to in theory, then it won't be long until the Silver and Black are back in contention.
Their AFC West rivals, however, have had a bit of a mixed bag. The Los Angeles Chargers made solid moves and took the compensatory pick formula into account, which is a great strategy. Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos have decided that they don't need anyone, signing zero external free agents.
And then there is the Kansas City Chiefs, who traded away Trent McDuffie and lost Jaylen Watson, Bryan Cook, Leo Chenal, Charles Omenihu and Joshua Williams. They turned around and committed all their money to Kenneth Walker III, Alohi Gilman, Khyiris Tonga, Travis Kelce and Tyquan Thornton.
That's not exactly a great offseason for them. To make things worse, they just traded for Justin Fields to serve as their Patrick Mahomes contingency plan. That feels like the metaphorical cherry on what has been an embarrassing offseason sundae in Kansas City.
Raiders fans are loving Chiefs' trade for Jets QB Justin Fields
To kick off the second week of free agency, ESPN's Adam Schefter dropped a bombshell, reporting that the New York Jets are sending Fields to the Chiefs in exchange for a 2027 6th-round pick. Funny enough, that is a better value than the Raiders got for Geno Smith. But Fields is younger and cheaper.
Anyways, fans remember that Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL toward the end of the 2025 NFL season, and Kansas City needed a contingency plan. Whether that player started for a few weeks to begin the year or needed to wait in the wings, should anything go sideways, the Chiefs needed a solid option.
Fields certainly isn't that.
Although he certainly has some physical traits and the running ability to be a difference-maker at quarterback, the former Ohio State Buckeye has never been able to put it together in the NFL. He's just 16-37 as a starter, and the Chicago Bears took off once they replaced him with Caleb Williams.
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He went just 2-7 last year as the starter in New York. Yes, he threw seven touchdowns compared to just one interception, but Fields barely threw the ball. In four of his nine starts, he completed nine or fewer passes, and in three of them, it was six or fewer.
Kansas City lost Gardner Minshew to the Arizona Cardinals in free agency, so Fields is the designated backup for Andy Reid's offense. If he is called upon to start the season in Mahomes' place, things could get ugly fast for the Raiders' AFC West foe.
Reid will surely have some fun putting Fields in creative sub-packages if Mahomes makes a full recovery. But relying on Fields to be your plug-in starter and him being one play away from taking the reins for the Chiefs isn't super promising for them.
After bleeding tons of talent this offseason and not adding much to replace them, Kansas City's trading for Fields reeks of desperation. And that's fine for Raider Nation, as the Chiefs haven't exactly been gracious winners over the years.
Maybe it's actually our turn to crawl out of the division's gutter.