RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Patrick Mahomes will not play in the Kansas City Chiefs’ pre-season game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Andy Reid has confirmed the decision.
That comes after the Chiefs opened their pre-season with a 12–20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, a game Mahomes also missed.
Reid is protecting his franchise quarterback, and there is a good reason. Mahomes is working his way back from a serious knee injury.
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Andy Reid explains major Patrick Mahomes decision
Justin Fields will start instead and is expected to play into the second quarter on Saturday. Trey Smith, Josh Simmons and Ashton Gillotte will also sit the game out, per ESPN’s Nate Taylor.
Reid had already hinted at this approach. Speaking a week before the Rams meeting, he said:
“There’s a pretty good chance I don’t play him [in the first pre-season game]. Percentages are leaning that way. I don’t know if I’ll play him the second or third game; I don’t know that, but the percentages likely lean against doing that. We’ve got new people in those other positions behind him that need some work, and so the more reps they get, the better.”
The caution makes sense when you remember how the injury happened. Mahomes was scrambling during the fourth quarter of the December 14, 2025 clash with the Los Angeles Chargers when an awkward hit buckled his left knee.
Tests confirmed a complete tear of the ACL and significant damage to the LCL. He underwent dual-ligament reconstruction surgery and has spent seven months recovering.
Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
On July 24, 2026, Reid announced Mahomes was fully cleared for 11-on-11 contact at the start of training camp. Teammates have said he looks sharp and shows ‘zero limitations’, although he has been wearing a brace on his left knee.
Keeping him out of at least two pre-season games removes any risk of contact before the real thing. After Tampa Bay, the Chiefs host the Seattle Seahawks at Arrowhead Stadium on Friday, August 28.
But the only date that truly matters is September 14. Mahomes will be under centre when Kansas City open the regular season against the Denver Broncos.
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