Justin Fields joined the Kansas City Chiefs a week ago to be Patrick Mahomes‘ backup. However, he might start in Week 1 of the 2026 season since the two-time NFL MVP is recovering from a torn ACL. If the team’s new quarterback plays, he will put his name in the history books.
Rich Cimini of ESPN stated that a Week 1 start by Justin Fields for the Chiefs would make him the first quarterback in NFL history to open the season as the starting signal-caller for four different teams in four consecutive years.
In 2023, Fields started for the Bears, in 2024, he did it for the Steelers, while in 2025, Fields repped the Jets. Now, he could do it for the Chiefs. Seven quarterbacks have done it for three teams since 1950, including Fields, of course.
There’s a bad side of the story for Fields
Fields might do NFL history, but it’s not great NFL history. The thing is that Fields starts the seasons as QB1, but rarely ends them. For instance, he played 13 games for the Bears in the 2023 season, with Tyson Bagent starting four times. However, that was due to Fields suffering injuries.
However, in 2024, he started for the Steelers but then was benched for Russell Wilson. In 2025, he lost the job to Tyrod Taylor. Hence, not only is he ending up losing his spot, but also to lackluster names. Now, at least it will be Mahomes when he is back healthy.
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Fields is a very different QB compared to Mahomes
Despite the clear differences in accomplishments and rankings, Fields and Mahomes are very different quarterbacks stylistically. While Mahomes can scramble and run, his biggest weapon is his huge-yet-accurate arm.
For Fields, he is a runner. He can’t instill fear in the NFL with his arm, he lacks the accuracy, but if he sees open space, he can explode and harm you massively with his feet. Hence, it will be interesting to see how much Andy Reid changes the playbook if Fields gets the start.
