The Kansas Chiefs are being very careful with Patrick Mahomes as he continues his recovery. Head coach Andy Reid confirmed that Mahomes will not play in the preseason finale against the Seattle Seahawks, with Garrett Nussmeier starting the game. This will be the first time in his career that the three-time Super Bowl winning QB will go through an entire preseason without playing in a game.

“Well, listen, he’s looked good during the practices and doing the stuff,” Reid said about Mahomes in a press conference on Wednesday. “This week, he was a scout team quarterback and a pretty good scout team quarterback. But he’s looked good, he’s looked strong. Obviously, his attitude’s right.”

Mahomes hurt his left knee during the Chiefs’ Week 15 game against the Los Angeles Chargers on December 14, 2025, tearing his ACL and LCL. The injury ended his season, and he had surgery the next day to repair the damage.

After surgery, Chiefs vice president of sports medicine and performance Rick Burkholder said Mahomes’ recovery could take about nine months, although every player recovers differently. Mahomes recovered quickly and was fully cleared for training camp on July 24, according to Andy Reid.

He also took first-team reps in practice and has shown no major limitations, even while wearing a knee brace.

“It feels great, pushing every single day, trying to stack days together,” Mahomes said on August 9. “I feel like when you’re tired, sometimes you don’t even think about it. So, I’m trying to protect it, but at the same time, I’m trying to push it and get myself ready to go for the season.”

Despite that, the Chiefs are not willing to take any risk with their Super Bowl-winning quarterback.

With Patrick Mahomes sitting out, Garrett Nussmeier will get another chance to play. The Chiefs drafted the former LSU quarterback in the seventh round with the 249th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. He has already played in two preseason games, completing 22 of 36 passes for 172 yards.

Nussmeier completed 13 of 19 passes for 98 yards against the Los Angeles Rams and nine of 17 passes for 74 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Andy Reid has also been happy with his work in practice. With Chris Oladokun unavailable due to injury, Nussmeier will get more playing time and another chance to show the Chiefs what he can do.

“He’s done a nice job,” Reid said. “We threw him right into the fire there with the first group, and I thought he handled it well; it wasn’t a big shock to him. It looked like he stepped in and took it on, had good leadership and tempo in and out of the huddle. So, it was positive, I think. It’ll pay off for him down the road.”

But besides Mahomes, the Chiefs have more players sidelined for the Seahawks matchup with injury concerns.

Andy Reid Sidelines Eight Chiefs Players From Seahawks Game

Along with Patrick Mahomes, eight other players will be sitting out against the Seahawks. Andy Reid led Wednesday’s press conference by sharing injury updates for those players.

“As far as any injuries go, the guys that won’t play most likely are (Jack) Cochrane, Chamarri (Conner), Ashton (Gillotte), C.J. Hanson, Jimmy Holiday, (Chris) Oladokun is still in concussion protocol,” Reid said. “(Josh) Simmons will be out with the back, and then Tyreke Smith, and then we’ll just see.”

Jack Cochrane sustained a right knee injury during practice on August 17 and was taken off the field in a cart. The injury looked serious at first, but he is now doing better. Still, the Chiefs are being careful with him.

As for Chamarri Conner, he hurt his knee after colliding with Tyquan Thornton during August 13’s practice. The Chiefs tried to slowly bring Conner back, but he was still unable to practice and also missed practice on August 24. Reid said Conner was “getting better,” but gave no return date.

Ashton Gillotte suffered a ruptured plantar fascia in his foot just two days after returning from a hamstring injury that had kept him out of practice. The injury is expected to take about three weeks to heal, so Gillotte could still be ready to play in the Chiefs’ Week 1 game against the Denver Broncos if his recovery goes as planned.

C.J. Hanson’s injury is still unclear because the Chiefs have not shared an update on that front. Meanwhile, Jimmy Holiday injured his quad during Chiefs practice on August 11, 2026, forcing him to leave practice early. Holiday has continued to miss practice for more than a week and will now sit out against the Seahawks.

Josh Simmons’ back injury has kept him out, raising more concern as he continues to miss time. Chris Oladokun, meanwhile, played against the Buccaneers on August 22 without any concussion symptoms. However, he began experiencing concussion symptoms the next day and was then placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol. Even Smith will be out because of a hamstring injury he suffered against Tampa Bay.

The injury concerns have risen at a rapid pace for the Chiefs. Moreover, they have lost two of two preseason games so far against the Rams and the Buccaneers. A win against the Seahawks on Friday would help them breathe a sigh of relief amid an overall negative sentiment overshadowing their preseason.