Jets trading Justin Fields to Kansas City, per source

The Jets found someone to take Justin Fields off their hands.

Fields is being traded to Kansas City, a league source confirmed. The Jets will get a sixth-round pick in 2027 from Kansas City in exchange for Fields, pending a physical. The Jets also will pay $7 million of Fields’ $10 million salary for 2026.

It was a given that Fields wouldn’t be back with the team after being a major disappointment in one season as Jets quarterback. The expectation was that the Jets would release him.

Instead, general manager Darren Mougey was able to get some draft capital for Fields, who will be with his fourth team in four seasons after being drafted in the first round by Chicago in 2026.

Kansas City needed a backup for Patrick Mahomes after Gardner Minshew signed with Arizona. Mahomes is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in December, so Fields will get an opportunity to lead Kansas City’s offense through training camp and perhaps early in the regular season.

This is the fourth trade that Mougey has made in the last few weeks. He also dealt Jermaine Johnson to the Titans for T’Vondre Sweat, acquired Minkah Fitzpatrick from the Dolphins and landed Geno Smith from the Raiders.

It was only a matter of time before the Jets moved on from Fields, especially after acquiring Smith last week. Smith is expected to be the Jets' starting quarterback. They are still looking for a backup, with Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe the other quarterbacks currently on the roster.

The Jets made Fields their big offseason signing last year. They gave him a two-year deal worth $30 million guaranteed. Head coach Aaron Glenn was confident that he and his coaches could develop the dual-threat Fields into a complete quarterback.

It proved to be a gross miscalculation.

Fields struggled to move the offense in his nine starts. He was benched in Week 12 and replaced by Tyrod Taylor. Fields didn’t play another snap for the Jets. The Jets went 2-7 when Fields started and scored one touchdown or fewer in four of the games.

He threw for 1,259 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception as a Jet. Fields’ passing yards and touchdowns were the fewest among quarterbacks who started at least seven games last season.

The Fields’ era started with promise and hope, but both faded quickly. He joined a long list of Jets quarterbacks whose stay with the franchise was brief after falling well short of expectations.

In Fields’ Jets debut, he threw for 218 yards and a touchdown and rushed for two scores in a 34-32 loss to the Steelers in Week 1. Over his next eight starts, Fields threw for less than 55 yards four times. They were the four-lowest passing totals of his career in games that he started.

Jets re-sign Andre Cisco

The Jets officially re-signed safety Andre Cisco to a one-year deal for $1.25 million guaranteed that could reach $5.25 million with incentives.

The former Valley Stream resident played in eight games for the Jets last season and recorded 41 tackles and a fumble recovery before suffering a season-ending torn pectoral muscle in a Week 8 win overall Cincinnati.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.