The New York Giants have a quarterback problem.

After starter Jackson Dart suffered a season-ending knee injury, the Giants are scrambling for options behind new starter Jameis Winston. Giants coach John Harbaugh made it clear when he said, “All options are open” on acquiring a quarterback.

While Winston and practice squad quarterback Jake Haener got a win against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, that doesn’t appear to be the long-term plan. According to ESPN and NFL Network, sources have indicated the Giants’ list of potential quarterback targets includes Jimmy Garoppolo, Cardinals backup quarterback Gardner Minshew, Vikings backup quarterback J.J. McCarthy, 49ers backup quarterback Mac Jones, and Chiefs backup quarterback Justin Fields.

That’s right, Kansas City Chiefs backup QB Justin Fields is on their shortlist.

Why a Fields trade would make sense for the Giants

Sending Fields to the Giants would reunite him with New York offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. Fields played under Nagy in Chicago, and the Giants run a similar offensive system to what Kansas City employs. The scheme familiarity alone makes Fields an appealing target on paper. However, just because the fit exists on New York’s end doesn’t mean Kansas City has any incentive to cooperate.

In reality, this type of trade is simply national media-driven fan fiction. The Chiefs don’t even need to consider what happened to Patrick Mahomes last season. They don’t need to look at the hits he took in the second quarter against the Miami Dolphins in Week 3. Just look at what happened to Dart, the QB the Giants now have to replace, as a clear indicator that they shouldn’t trade away their backup quarterback.

Why the Chiefs should hold onto Justin Fields

The Chiefs have every reason to hold onto Fields, but health is the biggest one. You’re always one play away from having to rely on your backup QB. It could be for only one snap, one drive, or the rest of the season. Having a veteran behind Mahomes is smart and necessary.

Kansas City does have a young player in Garrett Nussmeier waiting in the wings. That preseason Week 3 start made it clear, though, that Nussmeier still needs development time and is better suited as the No. 3 quarterback this year, working toward a reserve role in 2027.

While it might seem prudent to trade Fields and get an asset in return, the Chiefs have needed their backup quarterback to step in and play on multiple occasions. They’ve needed a competent backup to fill in for Mahomes, even in seasons when Kansas City competed for and played in the Super Bowl. Matt Moore filled in for a couple of games in 2019, when Mahomes dislocated his kneecap. Chad Henne took over when Mahomes was injured in the 2021 AFC Divisional Round against the Cleveland Browns. He led a game-winning drive. That’s hardly a scenario you want to put your seventh-round rookie quarterback in, especially when you’re trying to develop him and create long-term viability as a backup.

Additionally, let’s not act like Fields doesn’t have value as a gadget and trick-play engine while operating as the backup quarterback in Kansas City. His involvement in the viral Heisman play that the Chiefs pulled out of a University of Pennsylvania 1936 film helped Kansas City score a touchdown in a game they won. Those are the types of things he brings to the table every day for the Chiefs, in addition to his ability as a backup quarterback.

What would it take for the Chiefs to trade Fields?

The only way I see the Chiefs engaging in trade talks and moving a player like Fields is if a team like the Giants makes Kansas City an offer it can’t refuse. The reality is New York’s season is sunk without Dart. The Giants are better off jockeying for a better draft position than investing draft capital in a trade for a player who won’t truly move the needle in their ability to win football games.

If the Giants were, for whatever reason, out-of-their-minds crazy high on trading for Fields and offered a Day 2 pick, I don’t think the Chiefs would hang up the phone. However, let’s be real about what this trade truly is. New York isn’t necessarily trying to win football games here. They’re trying to keep the fan base invested, keep people’s butts in the seats at MetLife Stadium, and keep people tuned in. They don’t want to call it a sunk season in Week 3, and aim to provide entertainment on Sundays.