Josh Simmons thanks Chiefs Kingdom for supporting him during his four-game absence, vows to return the favor

A classy gesture from Kansas City Chiefs rookie LT Josh Simmons in his return to the team.

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor
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Kansas City Chiefs rookie LT Josh Simmons spoke to media members for the first time following his four-game absence on Wednesday.

He opened his press conference with a thank you to both the organization and the fanbase for supporting him and his family during his time away from the team. The patience, kindness, and messages of support didn’t go unnoticed, and he aims to return the gesture.

“I want to thank the entirety of Kansas City, and this club, for having my six during the time I was away from the team,” Simmons began. “It showed how much love this team and city has for me, and I can’t wait to give it back to them.”

Simmons was a silver lining in the Chiefs’ Week 11 loss to the Broncos, building on what has been an impressive rookie campaign. Part of that was his ability to stay ready while away from the team. Andy Reid wasn’t entirely certain that he’d be in a place to start during his first week back, but Simmons made sure to take care of business while taking care of his family. Not only did he have access to his playbook, but he also had access to film, workout facilities, and more while he was away.

“I had access to gyms and stuff like that,” Simmons said. “So, I was making sure I was working out once, and hitting like some fieldwork, and just keeping my feet alive and stuff like that, making sure my nervous system was woken up.”

Football wasn’t a distraction from the family situation that led him to leave the team. Simmons said he was itching to get back and fight alongside his teammates, and within that, he knew exactly what he needed to do to stay ready for when the time came for him to return to Kansas City.

“Definitely not a distraction,” Simmons said. “Wherever I was, I was making sure I was watching the game, tuning in, or keeping up with who we were going against next, the next week, or something like that. So, it wasn’t a distraction at all. I knew I was going to come back and be ready.”

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes believes this is just the tip of the iceberg for rookie LT Josh Simmons

Asked about Simmons’ return during his media availability on Wednesday, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes told reporters that he didn’t necessarily learn anything new in the Week 11 loss to the Broncos. He remains in awe of how he continues to improve and maneuver through what has been a challenging rookie campaign.

“He’s a great football player, and he’s gotten better every week that he’s played, and he’ll continue to get better,” Mahomes said of Simmons. “I think just for him, it’s just going to continue to stack days on days of just getting better, pushing himself to be the best player that he can be. But like. I said, like, since he stepped out, like you said, since OTAs, when he got out there, and the way he was rehabbing, the way he was getting back at it to training camp, into the season, he’s gotten better and better, and I think the sky’s the limit. He’s got to keep pushing to get even better.”

Chiefs’ remaining 2025 schedule

  • Week 12: Colts
  • Week 13: @ Cowboys
  • Week 14: Texans
  • Week 15: Chargers
  • Week 16: @ Titans
  • Week 17: Broncos
  • Week 18: @ Raiders

Simmons felt like there was a little rust he had to knock off, going against Broncos OLB Nik Bonitto right out of the gates. But as Mahomes indicated, it’s now just about continuing to build in the right direction to get back into the win column.

“There’s always room for (improvement),” Simmons said. “But I think as a front, we swang as hard as we could. There’s obviously some things that we can’t control. They’re also a really good football team. I think it’s just picking up on the film and kind of cleaning some stuff up.”

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