The Kansas City Chiefs are in an enviable position in the NFL as they don’t have to worry about their quarterback. With Patrick Mahomes as the top signal-caller in football, the Chiefs have a leg up on teams still looking for their quarterback of the future, but the backup position has been a giant question mark, leading Kansas City to acquire Justin Fields.
Fields is beginning to embrace his journeyman arc as he joins the Chiefs. A former first-round pick, Fields has 53 career starts under his belt, which will come in handy – especially if Mahomes misses time while recovering from a torn ACL and LCL. But the relationship between the Chiefs and Fields may not last for long as he enters the final year of his contract.
In all likelihood, the Chiefs will be on the lookout for another backup quarterback next season. Assuming Fields leaves Kansas City next offseason, the franchise may have come away from last weekend’s draft with his eventual replacement in seventh-round pick Garrett Nussmeier.
Garrett Nussmeier Could Wind Up as Chiefs QB2 If Justin Fields Leaves Next Spring
Nussmeier could be considered a draft-day steal by the Chiefs. While he lasted until the No. 249 overall pick, his stock was much higher one year ago as he was considered a dark horse to go No. 1 overall entering his final year at LSU. That didn’t come to fruition as he battled knee and torso injuries before the Tigers’ offense folded in Brian Kelly’s final year. When doctors found a cyst pressing on a nerve during his examination at the NFL Scouting Combine, Nussmeier’s stock tanked even further, leaving him on the board until the final round of the draft.
Still, there is enough for the Chiefs to believe in him as a developmental quarterback prospect. He threw for 4,052 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions and was a finalist for the Manning Award during the 2024 season. While the top overall pick in the 2025 draft may have been a reach with Cam Ward going to the Tennessee Titans, he would have been a first-round pick if he had declared, which makes the Chiefs feel like they found a diamond in the rough.
“Garrett is a unique case here,” Chiefs vice president of player personnel Ryne Nutt said, via Pete Sweeney of the Kansas City Star. “In 2024, he finished his last three games with [wins]...There [was] a ton of buzz on him coming into this year. For whatever reason, he didn’t have a great season.”
If the Chiefs can get something out of Nussmeier, they could be at an advantage. When Mahomes and Gardner Minshew went down last season, the Chiefs had to turn to Chris Oladokun for the final two games, and that worked out so poorly that it led to the trade that brought Fields over from the New York Jets.
For now, the Chiefs are saying the right things. While Nussmeier may not play this year (or even in future years), a developmental quarterback with that pedigree could become a quality backup at a lower cap hit, allowing them to spend money elsewhere to improve the team.
”We’re excited to have this kid,” Nutt continued. “He’s going to be a developmental guy for us. We’re excited about Justin Fields, obviously. We brought him in. But this is something we haven’t done, and we’ve talked about for a while now, is getting a quarterback late and developing him. Garrett gives us that opportunity.”
If all goes well, Fields will only be here for a season. An impressive performance in place of an injured Mahomes could put him back on the radar of quarterback-needy teams ahead of the 2027 season. If he flames out, the Chiefs could just be happy to move on if Nussmeier makes the progress they’re expecting.
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