Phase One of the offseason kicked off on Monday for the Kansas City Chiefs. While work is still limited to strength and conditioning, a major question looms over the team.
Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn ACL and LCL in December. While the face of the sport has been adamant that he plans to be ready to start the season, there is still no way to know when Mahomes can return to the field.
Speaking on Monday, head coach Andy Reid gave an update on Mahomes without putting a timetable on when
the quarterback might return to action.
“He goes to meetings,” Reid said of Mahomes. “He can lift and do all that. Rehab — that’s the phase he’s in right now. So, we’ll just see [and] kind of play it by ear to see where he’s at. He’s doing great, but we’ve just got to be smart with this thing.”
When the program transitions from conditioning work to organized-team activities (OTAs) in May, the offense will likely be led by quarterback Justin Fields, acquired in a trade with the New York Jets in March. This will be Mahomes’ fifth different backup quarterback in as many seasons.
Reid assessed his brief time working with Fields.
“I appreciate Justin and the way he’s gone about everything so far,” the coach remarked. “He’s been great with everything. I don’t know him as well as I will have known him once we get through a few weeks here, but I like from afar what I’ve seen. I like when I’ve met with him what I’ve seen.”
Fields was a first-round selection of the Chicago Bears in 2021. While the former Ohio State quarterback has been middling as an NFL passer, he has been dangerous as a ballcarrier. Fields has averaged 5.9 yards per rushing attempt and scored 23 touchdowns on the ground over his five NFL seasons.
Still, Reid reiterated comments from earlier this offseason that Fields was acquired for his skills as a quarterback — and not as a package player. The coach also acknowledges the reality that it may be Fields — and not Mahomes — in the starting lineup for Week 1 when the regular season begins.
“I mentioned at the owner meetings,” Reid recalled, “that we didn’t bring him to be a gadget guy — although he can do every gadget there is. We didn’t bring him in to do that. We brought it in [because] he’s a legitimate quarterback — a starting quarterback — in the National Football League, and we’re lucky enough to have him here. If that’s the role that he plays early in the season, we have full confidence that he can do a great job with that.”
While Reid is still becoming familiar with Fields, he did get intel on the quarterback from an old friend. Former Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy — who left this offseason to join the New York Giants — was the Bears’ head coach when Fields was drafted.
“I will get to know him better as we go forward,” Reid predicted, “but I like what I’ve seen so far. I also had the heads up by Matt from when he had him in Chicago on how he’s kind of wired — and that was all positive.”
