After nearly a decade of dominance, the Kansas City Chiefs were finally knocked off their pedestal last season in the AFC West. And while the LA Chargers didn't ultimately win the division, the Bolts did beat the Chiefs twice and effectively ended their season with the second win.
Kansas City now finds itself in a tough spot heading into the 2026 season. Not only does the team have flaws, but it has a star quarterback coming off a torn ACL that will certainly have an impact on the regular season. The Chiefs are no longer the unbeatable juggernaut.
It's unclear how much time, if any, Mahomes will miss next season as he recovers from the injury. The Chiefs did just make one thing clear, though: they won't be a threat if Mahomes misses extended time. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Chiefs are trading a 2027 sixth-round pick to the New York Jets for quarterback Justin Fields. Fields reportedly had multiple suitors, but preferred to go to the Chiefs.
Chiefs just guaranteed the Chargers they won't be competitive if Patrick Mahomes misses time
Backup quarterback is an important position and there's nothing wrong with a team trading a late-day-three pick a year in advance to secure a backup they like. It's not the process that is worth dunking on, it's the quarterback the Chiefs chose.
This is a perfect example of first-round priors coming into play and warping the perception of a player. Fields had high expectations coming into the league as a first-round pick and simply hasn't put it together to turn into a well-rounded NFL quarterback.
The Pittsburgh Steelers benched Fields after a month in favor of Russell Wilson two years ago even though the team was winning games with Fields under center. To follow that up, Fields had one of the worst seasons for a starting quarterback in recent NFL history.
The former first-round pick averaged 139.9 passing yards per game while completing 62.7% of his passes for a QBR of 38.7. Fields only threw one pick, but his inability to quickly process offensive concepts and resort to escaping the pocket made it harder, not easier, for the Jets to move the football.
In an ideal world for the Chiefs, Fields doesn't see the Field much and is just an emergency option with starting experience behind Mahomes. But with the star quarterback coming off a torn ACL, it's hard to imagine that Fields won't play some kind of role in 2026.
And that's great for the Chargers. The Chiefs are already a less daunting team and they're even more beatable with Fields under center. Kansas City may not have had many options, but they probably were better off taking a flier on someone like Cooper Rush than they were a quarterback who has struggled at every stop.
The Chargers still need to take care of business and hold up their end of the bargain, but heading into 2026, the Chiefs look more like an opportunity to stack wins than a real threat.