Justin Fields Says Patrick Mahomes Is ‘Showing Me the Ropes’ at Chiefs Camp
Justin Fields spent most of his NFL career as a starter. This summer, he’s learning a new position: student.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback said Patrick Mahomes has taken him under his wing during training camp, walking him through the finer points of an offense Mahomes has run for a decade. Fields, who joined the Chiefs in a trade with the New York Jets this offseason, is now working as Mahomes’ backup — a role reversal for a player who started 46 games combined with the Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers and Jets.
Speaking with reporters at camp, Fields described a quarterback room where Mahomes has become his go-to resource for every wrinkle in Andy Reid’s playbook.
“Any question that I have, he’s been in this offense for 10 years now so he knows every little detail,” Fields said of Mahomes, according to Pro Football Talk. “Any questions that have popped up, he’s explaining to me perfectly. It’s great learning from him, him showing me the ropes.”
That kind of institutional knowledge matters in Reid’s system, which has a reputation around the league for its depth of concepts and situational wrinkles. Fields is trying to absorb all of it at once, rather than lean on the smaller route trees and simplified reads he ran in previous stops.
“I’m just trying to expand my horizon, do things I’ve never done before, the amount of concepts, the amount of actions, the amount of stuff we have in the offense,” Fields said. “I’m just trying to practice on that, and really emulate Pat.”
A New Chapter After a Winding Path
Fields, the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, left the Bears after the 2023 season and spent 2024 with the Steelers before a one-year run with the Jets in 2025. According to ClutchPoints, Fields started nine games for New York last season, completing 62.7% of his passes for 1,259 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception, while adding 383 rushing yards and four scores on 71 carries.
Kansas City acquired Fields from the Jets in March in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick. The move gave the Chiefs an experienced, mobile arm behind Mahomes, who is still working back from the torn ACL and LCL that ended his 2025 season early and contributed to Kansas City’s 6-11 finish — the franchise’s first losing record since 2014.
| Quarterback | 2025 Stat Line | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Justin Fields | 62.7% comp., 1,259 yds, 7 TD, 1 INT, 383 rush yds, 4 rush TD | New York Jets |
| Patrick Mahomes | Season ended early — torn ACL/LCL | Kansas City Chiefs |
Mahomes Progressing, Fields Getting Real Reps
Mahomes has been a full practice participant since camp opened and has looked increasingly comfortable moving around, but Reid hasn’t committed to a firm return date for game action. Fields, meanwhile, has begun taking snaps with the first-team offense in recent sessions — a subtle shift that has fueled speculation he could start Kansas City’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday, Aug. 15, should the Chiefs continue easing Mahomes back in.
Nothing about that decision is confirmed. Reid has not named a starter for that game, and any plan could shift depending on how Mahomes’ knee responds to a heavier practice workload in the coming days.
For now, Fields says the value of camp isn’t about reps alone — it’s about absorbing how a player with three Super Bowl rings approaches the game, from meeting-room habits to how he processes coverage looks before the snap.
What’s Next
The Chiefs continue camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri, before shifting practices back to their facility near Arrowhead Stadium. How much game action Fields sees this preseason will likely hinge on Mahomes’ recovery timeline — one Reid has been careful not to rush.
