Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes needs Josh Simmons to protect his blind side. But instead, the QB found himself on Andy Reid’s side during a tense exchange with the young tackle. Simmons was told to leave a team meeting on Wednesday after pushing back against the HC’s instructions. The reported incident came just a day before Kansas City placed him on injured reserve with a lingering back problem.

Simmons, the Chiefs’ 2025 first-round pick, was reportedly sitting with his feet up in the offensive meeting room when Reid asked him to put them down, sources told NFL Network. Simmons explained that his back and hips were aching and that he needed to sit that way for comfort. Reid told Simmons to see the athletic trainers if he was in pain. The discussion continued until Mahomes repeated his coach’s instruction to leave the room and get treatment.

Now, a Kansas City reporter believes the incident leak sends a pointed message about where the organization stands and Josh’s future with the Chiefs.

“A Chiefs meeting never gets leaked to media unless a point needs to be made. This screams the Club saying something along the lines of ‘it’s on him .. not us, we did our best,’” FOX4 News Kansas City reporter Harold R. Kuntz wrote on X.

Kuntz believes the Chiefs may want to distance themselves from the controversy and Josh.

Simmons exited the meeting but stayed at the team facility, and later apologized to Reid and team leadership, acknowledging that he could have handled the situation better. However, there is no reported evidence that the confrontation led to his placement on injured reserve.

The decision was tied to a back injury that has kept Simmons off the field throughout the 2026 season. He initially reported calf discomfort in August, and an MRI revealed a bulging, herniated disk in his lower back. After consulting multiple medical professionals, Simmons pursued rehabilitation rather than surgery.

A follow-up MRI after Kansas City’s Week 5 bye showed improvement. Simmons was able to return to limited practice, but the discomfort continued. That’s when the Chiefs decided he needed more time to recover.

Rick Burkholder, the team’s vice president of sports medicine and performance, said Simmons was given Wednesday afternoon to discuss his rehabilitation with his family and representatives.

Kansas City then placed him on injured reserve the next day, with reports hinting that Week 11 is the earliest he can return.

Simmons has yet to appear in a game this season, following a rookie year in which he played eight games. He missed four games in 2025 for personal reasons involving his family before suffering a dislocated and fractured wrist against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, an injury that ended his season.

Despite his strength and athleticism, Simmons has played in only eight of 22 possible games since joining the Kansas City Chiefs. In his absence, the team has turned to undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson at left tackle to protect Patrick Mahomes.

Joshua Ezeudu is expected to start at right tackle against the Seattle Seahawks, with veteran Jaylon Moore out due to a concussion.

For now, Simmons’ priority is getting healthy enough to return. But the reported meeting-room clash has added another complication to his difficult start for the Chiefs.