Chiefs cleared for takeoff?

By: Josh Frey-Sam

There was a lot of discussion earlier in the offseason about which direction the Chiefs would go in 2026.

With the face of the franchise, Patrick Mahomes, recovering from an ACL injury and the roster clearly needing an injection of talent, would they look to “re-tool” in 2026 before returning to contention in 2027?

Their moves this off-season have all but spelled a resounding N-O. Their addition on Monday further solidified that notion for me.

It would’ve been easy for the Chiefs to go into the season with Chris Oladokun as their backup or sign an underwhelming free agent to serve as the option behind Mahomes. Instead, they went to the trade market to acquire Justin Fields for a 2027 sixth-rounder.

I know Mahomes has said all the right things about his rehab — he wants to be ready to take the field Week 1 — but it wouldn’t shock me in the slightest if the Chiefs were cautious with their star QB and put him on the Physically Unable to Perform list to start the year, which would knock him out for the first four games.

With that as my theory, I love the Fields signing as a strong move to keep the Chiefs afloat if Mahomes is, in fact, sidelined for the first month of the campaign.

Say what you want about Fields, he presents the most upside of any quarterback currently on the market. Andy Reid has also had success with a signal-caller of a similar skillset (and I’m by NO MEANS comparing the two): Mike Vick.

Am I suggesting Fields will light it up if given the opportunity? No, but is it crazy to think he could play well enough to scratch out a 2-2 record in Mahomes’ absence? That would at least keep their season alive, rather than fall into a near-insurmountable 0-4 hole.

Their offensive line and weaponry (outside of Hollywood Brown) remain the same from last season, and the addition of Kenneth Walker should give them a consistent threat in the run game.

Defensively, they will be hunting for a CB in the draft, but adding Khyiris Tonga along the front and Alohi Gilman on the back end were two strong moves. Steve Spagnuolo will figure out the rest.

The Chiefs clearly don’t think they’re far off from returning to contention, and their moves this off-season have made that abundantly clear.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh