Patrick Mahomes will not suit up for a Kansas City Chiefs preseason game for the first time in his NFL career.
Mahomes has made a remarkable recovery from the torn ACL and LCL he suffered in his left knee against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 14 last December. He was fully cleared ahead of training camp, but the team has been understandably cautious with his return.
The three-time Super Bowl champion has notoriously remained active in preseason games compared to other starting quarterbacks, who often sit out games in order to avoid any risk of injury.
However, head coach Andy Reid has confirmed Mahomes will sit out entirely for the first time since he was drafted back in 2017 when the Chiefs host the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night.
‘The way the rotation will go is Pat won’t start or play,’ Reid said.
‘So it’ll be Justin (Fields) and then (Garrett) Nussmeier, and then Chris (Oladokun) will take it from there. We’ll just see how the reps go as we work through that.’
Patrick Mahomes will not play in the Kansas City Chiefs’ first preseason game this weekend
Justin Fields (6) will start with Garrett Nussmeier (14) and Chris Oladokun (19) also playing
Reid suggested last week that Mahomes might not feature at all in preseason, with two further games coming up this month against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks before their regular season begins on Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos on September 14.
‘There’s a pretty good chance I don’t play him,’ Reid said. ‘Percentages are leaning that way. I don’t know if I will play him the second or third game — I don’t know that — but percentages probably lean against doing that.
‘We’ve got new people … behind (Mahomes) that need some work. The more reps they get, the better.’
Mahomes admitted he was keen to get back onto the field for the first time since his injury, but has now been forced to accept the reality he must be protected at all costs after last season’s injury.
Mahomes said last week: ‘I’m for whatever coach (Andy Reid) says. I’m gonna prepare to play. He hasn’t told me anything, so I’ll prepare to play.
‘I’m prepared to get myself ready, and we’ll see where we go from there. And if not, I’ll be as locked in as I am during the game, and I’m trying to get myself as ready to go for the game. So it’s just a process of trying to make sure you’re ready for the season, and whatever coach thinks is best, I’ll do.
‘I’m like trying to hold myself back because I’m just a competitor and I like competing, and all of a sudden I’m running and cutting back and trying to pitch the ball.
‘So it’s just like trying to keep yourself from doing stuff like that. But when it’s fourth down, you want to try to make a play happen. You try to make a play happen. So I’m not going to lose who I am, but I’m trying to keep myself smart, keep myself in position to be out there for my teammates.’
Coach Reid has told Mahomes he will not play at all against the Los Angeles Rams
Mahomes was fully cleared ahead of training camp despite tearing his ACL and LCL last year
Earlier this week, veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers insisted he no longer sees any benefit in playing preseason games.
‘It’s preseason. It’s not real football,’ Rodgers explained. ‘If I play great, if I don’t play, great.
‘Teams don’t run anything anymore. Sometimes, they’d show you real things they’d work on. But as it went on, it turned into fights. I think those are waste of a day.’
