“I wanted to come here because of the (Chiefs’) culture, because of Pat and to learn from him and coach (Andy) Reed,” Fields said Tuesday. “Honestly, it’s just a win.
“Obviously we knew about each other, but we didn’t really interact before coming here. I’m excited to learn from (Mahomes). I’ve already been working on his mind a little bit and just seeing how he operates in the meeting room, on the field and things like that. I’m, of course, excited to work with Coach Reid and (offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy) and everybody on offense.”
The Chiefs acquired five-year veteran Fields in a trade with the New York Jets last month. As part of the trade, the Jets are paying $7 million of Fields’ $10 million guaranteed salary for 2026, while Kansas City will pay the remaining $3 million.
Mahomes is recovering from the most significant injury of his nine-year career, as he had surgery in December to repair a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee. Even though Mahomes is the Chiefs’ starter in Week 1, Fields shared that he believes he will be able to gain a lot of knowledge from his new teammate in the quarterback room.
“I was excited for a fresh start, the tradition here, the culture here,” Fields said. “Whether I’m starting or being the backup, I’ll attack (every day) the same way. My goal is to get better, either way. My mentality doesn’t change.”
During the Chiefs’ offseason program, which began Monday, Reid said Fields would work to learn the offense as a quarterback — not as an occasionally used “gadget” player.
“I appreciate Justin and the way he’s handled everything so far,” Reed said Monday. “He’s been very good at everything. He’s a legitimate quarterback, a starting quarterback in the NFL, and we’re very fortunate to have him here. If that’s the role he plays in at the beginning of the season, we’re confident he can do a very good job at it.”
Although the Chiefs haven’t seen a lot of Reed’s plays yet, Fields admitted that workouts and meetings have already shown him why he was comfortable trading him to Kansas City.
“It’s just the same culture – just the same winning mentality as when I was in Pittsburgh – just the same winning mentality,” he said of being at the Chiefs training facility. “Even I’ve been here for two days, you can tell why it happens, just the mentality of the coaches and players. The fact that 99% of the guys are here right now just shows you what kind of team we’re going to be this year.”
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