Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are looking to bounce back after a rough 2025 NFL season. After winning three Super Bowl championships and making at least the AFC Championship Game every year since Mahomes became the starting quarterback in 2018, Kansas City missed the playoffs entirely last season, finishing third in the AFC West with a 6-11 record.
To make matters worse, Mahomes suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee on Dec. 14 in a 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15. The next day, the Whitehouse High School graduate underwent successful surgery performed by Dr. Dan Cooper in Dallas, Texas, and has been on the road to recovery ever since.
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With the two-time NFL MVP expected to be available by Week 1, many expect Andy Reid and the Chiefs to regain their footing as the league’s standard in 2026. On Monday, Kansas City learned news that could impact those expectations, as it was reported that JuJu Smith-Schuster will sign with the New York Giants.
Smith-Schuster spent his first five seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers before departing for the Chiefs in 2022. The Long Beach Polytechnic High School graduate proved to be a reliable target for Mahomes that year, catching 78 passes for 933 yards and three touchdowns.
After spending the 2023 season with the New England Patriots, the 6-foot-1 wide receiver reunited with Mahomes in 2024. The 29-year-old spent the past two seasons in Kansas City, catching 33 passes for 345 yards and a touchdown in 2025. Now, Kansas City will be without the former Pro Bowler in 2026.
"The Giants are signing former Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to a one-year deal," ESPN reporter Adam Schefter wrote on X. "Per his agent Drew Rosenhaus. Giants now have added WRs Odell Beckham Jr., Braxton Berrios and Smith-Schuster."
Kansas City will open the 2026 NFL regular season at Arrowhead Stadium on "Monday Night Football" against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 14.
