Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have begun preparation for the 2026 NFL season, with training camp well underway. And the Chiefs will begin preseason play on Saturday, August 15, as reigning MVP Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams come to town.
Kansas City had a season to forget in 2025, finishing 6-11 and missing out on the playoffs. To make matters worse, Mahomes went down with a torn ACL in the Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. This forced the former Texas Tech quarterback to miss the rest of the season, while putting his start to the 2026 season in jeopardy.
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While Mahomes is now expected to be available for the Week 1 matchup against the Denver Broncos, coach Andy Reid revealed on Friday afternoon that it is unlikely he will play the quarterback in the Chiefs preseason opener against Los Angeles. Potentially just typical sitting the starter stuff, Mahomes could be unavailable for the final two preseason games as well.
"I mean, there's a pretty good chance where I don't play him," Reid said. "Percentages are leading that way. I don't know if I'll play him in the second or third game. I don't know that. The percentages probably lean against not doing that."
With Mahomes expected to sit, Reid also spoke about seventh-round rookie quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. The coach noted that the former LSU Tigers star is doing a nice job at practice, and they have decided to "load him up."
"I mean, every time he's in, he moves the ball," Reid said of Nussmeier. "Any of the mistakes, we'll correct as we go. But his pass production has been real positive. He gets it, he works hard at it. His dad's a coach and he grew up that way, knowing about detail. So he's doing a nice job. And we've loaded him up, we haven't pulled back on anything with him as far as volume. And he's handled it."
Nussmeier will have to earn his spot on the Chiefs' final roster in the preseason, with Justin Fields and Chris Oladokun all competing for a spot behind Mahomes as well.
