Changes are coming for the Kansas City Chiefs — and Andy Reid just put every single player and coach on notice
On Monday, Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid caught some attention with one of his comments made to the media.
When you go through a tough season as the Kansas City Chiefs did in 2025, change is undoubtedly on the horizon. Patrick Mahomes’ ACL and LCL injury was the cherry on top of a season where everything went wrong, and practically everyone shares in the blame.
Asked about processing his own thoughts and emotions on Mahomes’ injury, Chiefs HC Andy Reid remained confident that his star quarterback will come out on the right side of things. What he said next, however, caught everyone’s attention.
“I know the process of rehab, and for sure, he’ll get in there, and I know he’ll come out on the strong end of this thing,” Reid said. “As we go here, we’re finding a lot out about our team. Some of the young guys are having opportunities to play. We’re going to finish this season strong and with effort. Then you get into the offseason, but I’m always optimistic about going forward. (General Manager) Brett Veach does a heck of a job with bringing players in, as you can see now by the guys that are in there playing. Then it’s our responsibility to clean things up on the coaching side of it and the players to take responsibility on their end and finish these three games, and then whoever is here after to retool it.”
Unpacking what Chiefs HC Andy Reid is actually getting at with his comments
Plenty of people will harp on the “whoever is here after” comments from Coach Reid, but the reality is that no two NFL teams are alike. The Chiefs’ coaching staff, front office, and player personnel will change in 2026. The big question is: How much change will there be?
As far as players go, a lot of them are auditioning for their futures over the next three weeks. The Chiefs have just 36 players under contract beyond the 2025 NFL season. That means they’ll need 54 more players to fill out their 90-man offseason roster. They’re expected to have seven picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, including a compensatory pick.
Most notably, Gardner Minshew is getting an audition at quarterback with Mahomes’ ability to start in Week 1 of 2026 now in question. Make no mistake, though. Coaches and players alike will be under the microscope in these final three weeks of the 2026 NFL season. Fans will want the team to tank and intentionally lose games to get the best draft pick possible, but as Coach Reid says, the next three weeks are about finding out exactly what these Chiefs are made of.
With three games left and K.C. eliminated from playoff contention, this team has an opportunity to play loose, finish the season strong, and prove they’re better than their record shows. They need to see what their young players, such as Esa Pole, Chu Godrick, Kevin Knowles, Nohl Williams, Jeffrey Bassa, Cooper McDonald, Jalen Royals, and others, can do. The coaches also have to prove that they can put together a winning game plan sans Patrick Mahomes. They had a hard enough time doing it when he was on the field, but perhaps doing so without him can help them learn what it takes to win when he returns.
When the guys suit up in Week 16 on the road against the hapless two-win Tennessee Titans team, the team collectively needs to prove they’re part of the solution and not part of the problems that have plagued this team since far before Patrick Mahomes was injured.