The Kansas City Chiefs' somewhat shocking acquisition of New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields on Monday has its supporters and detractors. But very few seem to be as excited by the move as former Chiefs quarterback Chase Daniel.
Daniel knows what it's like to play in Andy Reid's offense. He also knows better than almost anyone the importance of being ready to take over as a backup quarterback in the NFL. Given his experience behind Alex Smith in K.C. from 2013-15 (and his 13 years in the league overall), Daniel has a unique perspective on the trade that sent a future sixth-round choice (2027) to New York for Fields.
Shortly after news of the trade broke, Daniel went live on social media with his excited take on why he loves the news for the player and the team—at least Kansas City's end of things.
Chase Daniel loves the Justin Fields trade to K.C. for both the player and the team.
"The Chiefs just traded for quarterback Justin Fields from the Jets, and both of my worlds collide. I love this move so much. First of all, everyone knows that follows my channel, I really like Justin Fields. He's had a really tough go at it. He's been on four different teams in four years, but this will be his first time with an offensive head coach.
"Do you remember what Andy Reid did with Mike Vick? I'm not saying that's going to happen, but you can turn your career around. Patrick Mahomes got hurt on December 14th—ACL, among other things. His recovery is going well, but is he going to be back in time for the regular season?
"Look, in offseason organized team activities, Justin Fields will get all the reps. Probably in training camp, Justin Fields will get all of the reps. I mean, this just ensures that they have a legitimate backup in the Chiefs organization. But if, for some reason, Patrick Mahomes cannot get ready to go, I do think Justin Fields is going to play, and I think he's going to play well.
"I mean, could you imagine what Andy Reid's going to do with Justin Fields and Kenneth Walker and Rashee Rice and a receiver they're probably going to draft in the first round? Look, Mahomes is the guy, but we don't know about Patrick Mahomes' recovery. I love this move, not only for the Chiefs but for Justin Fields' career trajectory. If he has a good year, if he gets everything that he needs to know mentally on tap, maybe he can further his career."
I DID NOT see this Justin Fields trade coming but it’s a huge deal for the Chiefs… pic.twitter.com/t6y79R24in
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) March 16, 2026
Fields has played for some truly horrendous teams in his short tenure in the NFL, since being drafted at No. 11 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He started 10 games during his rookie season for a team that would eventually get Matt Nagy fired as head coach in '21. Matt Ebeflus would win half as many games as Nagy did the next year, before finding a bit more traction in a 7-10 season in '23.
The Bears would officially end the Fields experiment at that point, and Fields enjoyed a bit of a resurgent campaign with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024. He went 4-2 in relief of Russell Wilson, and his athleticism has always been a plus, but the Steelers never trusted him, which is why they allowed him to leave for the Jets in 2025.
Fields went 2-7 as a starter for the Jets in his only season in New York, but it's not as if anyone was going to win with that roster. Others on the depth chart, Tyrod Taylor and Brady Cook, failed just as miserably, and there's a reason the Jets decided to hold a fire sale over the last few months.
Now the Chiefs are giving him a safe place to land with a hopeful contender backing up the best in the game while learning from a Mt. Rushmore coaching legend. He'll have the reigning Super Bowl MVP in his backfield with a future Hall of Famer at tight end and an ever-improving wide receiver corps. In other words, he's never been in a situation even close to this one.
That's why Daniel loves this move for all parties involved. The Chiefs are hoping they won't even need to find out what Fields is capable of, but having him around is what a team has to plan for anyway.