Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes is unlikely to play in next week’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams, head coach Andy Reid told reporters on Friday.
Reid didn’t stop there, however. He said he’d likely shy away from playing Mahomes in the preseason as a whole.
The decision is hardly surprising, given Mahomes is working his way back after undergoing surgery to repair tears to the ACL and LCL in his left knee.
“There’s a pretty good chance I don’t play him (against the Rams) — percentages are leading that way,” Reid said. “I don’t know that I’d play him in the second or third game. … Percentages probably lean against doing that.
“We’ve got new people in those other positions behind him that need some work. The more reps they get, the better.”
Justin Fields, rookie Garrett Nussmeier and Chris Oladokun are the other quarterbacks on the roster.
Kansas City hosts the Rams on Aug. 15. The Chiefs also play preseason games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Aug. 22) and Seattle Seahawks (Aug. 28) before opening the regular season at home against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 14.
Mahomes sustained the injury in the closing minutes of Kansas City’s 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 14, a result that eliminated the Chiefs from playoff contention.
The two-time league MVP and three-time Super Bowl MVP was in the midst of arguably his worst season as a pro.
Mahomes, who turns 31 on Sept. 17, completed 62.7% of his passes for 3,587 yards with 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The completion percentage, passing yards and TD passes were all career-low marks since he became a regular in 2018.
