The Kansas City Chiefs have a new backup quarterback. Justin Fields was acquired via trade from the New York Jets on Monday morning.
As part of the deal, Kansas City takes on $3 million of the $10 million Fields was guaranteed in 2026, via various reports. Over The Cap lists the Chiefs with $10,935,301 in salary cap space after adding Fields to Kansas City's figures.
The Chiefs have made a fair amount of moves so far. And while the NFL Draft still awaits next month, some other holes or depth spots could still be beefed up. How much does Fields' salary affect K.C.'s remaining offseason plans?
Chiefs still paying less than most teams for QB2
The veteran minimum salary at quarterback is roughly $1.3 million. Fields will cost just over double that for the Chiefs this season. Compared to most backup quarterback salaries, though, it is a relatively normal salary to have on the books at that spot.
Overall, Mitchell Trubisky, Marcus Mariota, Gardner Minshew, and Kenny Pickett all signed for a higher salary per season as a backup option in this year's free-agent class. According to Spotrac, all four of those names hold a $4 million average annual salary or higher.
Chiefs still have room for low-cost veteran additions
In terms of the remaining offseason plans, the Chiefs are likely to attack their remaining needs largely in the draft. There are some defensive ends and cornerbacks still to be had. Kansas City could look to those veteran markets and the remaining options.
For instance, Cam Jordan has been loosely tied to Kansas City this offseason. After not returning to the New Orleans Saints, Chris Jones vouched for Jordan to join the Chiefs. He and some other experienced pass rushers likely would not break the bank if it meant joining a contender. Spotrac has his market value for 2026 at $6.8M.
At cornerback, Kansas City could easily draft a couple of options to pair with Nohl Williams and Kristian Fulton. But at this point in free agency, any potential cornerback signee likely does not top Fields' $3 million salary by much on the 2026 books.
It's also important to note the need at wide receiver, where they're likely only searching for cheap additions for '26. It would be shocking if they paid anyone more than $6-7M for one year out of the available options, however. That would only be around double what Kansas City pays Fields.
In the end, the Fields addition does not eliminate the possibility of more signings for Kansas City. The category of those moves, however, is limited to veteran stopgaps or cheap bounce-back candidates.