Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has made a significant decision for the upcoming preseason, confirming that star quarterback Patrick Mahomes will not play in any exhibition games this year. This marks the first time in Mahomes' NFL career, since being drafted in 2017, that he will sit out the preseason entirely.
Mahomes has made a notable recovery from the torn ACL and LCL he sustained in his left knee during Week 14 of last season against the Los Angeles Chargers. While he has been medically cleared and participated in training camp, the team is opting for a cautious approach to his return. Historically, Mahomes has been an exception to the trend of starting quarterbacks sitting out preseason games to avoid injury.
"The way the rotation will go is Pat won't start or play," Reid stated. "So it'll be Justin (Fields) and then (Garrett) Nussmeier, and then Chris (Oladokun) will take it from there. We'll just see how the reps go as we work through that."
Reid had previously indicated that Mahomes might not play in any preseason games, with two additional matchups scheduled against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks before the regular season opener against the Denver Broncos on September 14.
"There's a pretty good chance I don't play him," Reid said last week. "Percentages are leaning that way. I don't know if I will play him the second or third game — I don't know that — but percentages probably lean against doing that. We've got new people ... behind (Mahomes) that need some work. The more reps they get, the better."
Mahomes himself expressed eagerness to return to the field post-injury but understands the necessity of prioritizing his health. "I'm for whatever coach (Andy Reid) says. I'm gonna prepare to play," Mahomes said. "He hasn't told me anything, so I'll prepare to play. I'm prepared to get myself ready, and we'll see where we go from there. And if not, I'll be as locked in as I am during the game, and I'm trying to get myself as ready to go for the game. So it's just a process of trying to make sure you're ready for the season, and whatever coach thinks is best, I'll do."
He added that his competitive nature makes it challenging to hold back, especially when anticipating making plays. "I'm like trying to hold myself back because I'm just a competitor and I like competing, and all of a sudden I'm running and cutting back and trying to pitch the ball. So it's just like trying to keep yourself from doing stuff like that. But when it's fourth down, you want to try to make a play happen. You try to make a play happen. So I'm not going to lose who I am, but I'm trying to keep myself smart, keep myself in position to be out there for my teammates."
Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers recently shared his perspective on preseason games, suggesting they offer diminishing benefits. "It's preseason. It's not real football," Rodgers explained. "If I play great, if I don't play, great. Teams don't run anything anymore. Sometimes, they'd show you real things they'd work on. But as it went on, it turned into fights. I think those are waste of a day."
