Reid: ‘Pretty Good Chance’ Patrick Mahomes Doesn’t Play In Preseason

Patrick Mahomes is still on the mend from a torn ACL but was recently cleared to fully participate in training camp. When asked if Mahomes will play in the preseason, Chiefs HC Andy Reid responded that there’s a “pretty good chance” that the quarterback will not play. 

“There’s a pretty good chance I don’t play him. The percentages are leading that way. I’m not sure I’ll play him in the second or third game,” Reid said, via Nate Taylor. 

Reid is unclear if Mahomes will appear in the second or third preseason game, but it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if he sits, given the quarterback suffered a serious knee injury in December. 

In late July, Reid mentioned that they will observe Mahomes “day by day” to see how things go. 

“[He’s cleared to practice] and do all the different periods we have in this camp, and then we’ll just take it day by day and see how he does,” Reid said.

Mahomes confirmed in recent weeks that he plans to return for Week 1.

“That’s my goal,” Mahomes said. “I’ve said that since the beginning, is being ready to go Week 1. I can’t predict the future, and I know that it’s a long process. It’s not just my decision, but at the same time I’m going to give the doctors and the coaches every single opportunity I can to let me be out there Week 1.”

“I don’t want to miss that game because that’s the team that won the division while we were gone, and you want to be out there and ready to go with your teammates,” Mahomes continued. “I’ll give every single thing I can to be out there Week 1, and hopefully the doctors and the coaches give me the green light, and I’m able to go out there with my guys and compete against one of the best teams in the league.”

“[A]ll I can do is be as great as I can be every single day,” Mahomes concluded. “You just have to maximize that day and slowly get better and better as the year goes on. I’m excited to get back to training camp. I’m excited to get the guys back around. I’ve kind of been in the building in Kansas City by myself. Just [to] have the guys back and getting to be on the football field will get me going and get me ready for the season.”

Mahomes, 30, is a former first-round pick of the Chiefs back in 2017 out of Texas Tech. He was in the final year of a four-year, $16.4 million contract when the Chiefs picked up his fifth-year option worth $24,837,000 for the 2021 season.

Mahomes then agreed to a 10-year extension with the Chiefs worth $503 million, which was later restructured multiple times. Kansas City added two years to Mahomes’ contract to keep him signed through 2033. He will now make an NFL record of $64 million per year. 

In 2025, Mahomes appeared in 14 games for the Chiefs and completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 3,587 yards, 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He added 64 carries for 422 yards and five touchdowns.