The Kansas City Chiefs have been wheeling and dealing all offseason to improve the team’s roster.
However, the biggest addition won’t be a trade or free agent signing. It’ll be the health of Patrick Mahomes. The quarterback continues to rehab from a knee injury that ended his 2025 season, with the hopes that he’ll be ready in time for Week 1.
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Chiefs coach Andy Reid spoke about Mahomes’ progress with NFL Media’s Judy Battista on March 28 ahead of the annual league meeting in Phoenix.
“He’s doing great,” Reid told Battista, via NFL.com. “He spends a ton of time in the building. … He’s in there for seven hours a day. It’s showing, the progress. Now, to tell you a timeline? I mean, I know what he’s striving for. We’ll just see where it goes from there.”
The two-time MVP is already back on the field and showed off his progress earlier in the week in a social media post on March 25, which was captioned:
“Day by Day! Felt Great being able to throw the ball around today!”
Mahomes has been clear in his desire to return for the start of the 2026 season.
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“Obviously, I think the long term, I mean I want to be ready for Week 1,” Mahomes told reporters on Jan. 15.. “The doctor said that I could be, but I can’t predict what’s gonna happen throughout the process. But that’s my goal, and so I’ll try to prepare myself to be ready to play in that Week 1 and have no restrictions – you know, you want to be out there healthy and giving us the best chance to win.”
There have been no reported setbacks for Mahomes since the injury occurred in December, but that didn’t stop the Chiefs from getting some insurance for the star quarterback.
Kansas City traded for Justin Fields on March 16, acquiring the signal-caller from the New York Jets. He’ll serve as the backup to Mahomes, but would be in line to start if he isn’t ready. At the very least, Fields can lead the team through the offseason programs while Mahomes recovers.
Reid spoke about the new addition to the depth chart with Battista.
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“Well, we snuck out and got a good quarterback to back him up,” Reid said to Battista, when asked if the team is planning for Mahomes to be ready Week 1. “So, if he doesn’t, you know, if he’s not able to make it for the beginning of the season, then we know we’ve got a legitimate backup there that can go win games for us.”
If everything continues to trend in the right direction, the Chiefs won’t need that insurance option – at least right away.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Patrick Mahomes injury update: Chiefs HC Andy Reid offers latest on QB
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