The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to bounce back from their poorest season in years, but Andy Reid isn’t prepared to knock down what he’s spent years building. Despite a stunning 6-11 campaign that marked one of the franchise’s most disappointing seasons in recent memory, the Chiefs know that it is only a brief dip in a dominant stretch from 2019 to 2024 that included five Super Bowl appearances and three championships.
Yet if the Chiefs are serious about remaining competitive, they must confront a difficult reality about two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes is recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL and torn LCL suffered in a Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Even if Mahomes pushes for an expedited return, the organization cannot afford to rush its franchise cornerstone.
That uncertainty has fueled speculation about who might guide the offense early in the season. ESPN analyst Seth Walder believes the answer could be veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota, currently of the Washington Commanders.
“Mahomes has indicated he wants to be back for Week 1, and perhaps that will happen,” Walder wrote. “But any prediction about his Week 1 status is just a guess, so I imagine that the Chiefs would want to be cautious with Mahomes, given his importance to the franchise.
“If that is the case, they’d want a reliable backup who can ideally win a few games while Mahomes finishes up his recovery.
“I believe Mariota fits the bill … He has a long history of being solid, which is essentially what Kansas City needs – a player who can keep the team afloat in Mahomes’ absence but is willing to be a backup and won’t be overly expensive.”
Evaluating Mariota’s fit in Kansas City
Mariota, now 32, entered the league as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Over the past two seasons, he signed consecutive one-year deals with the Washington Commanders, earning $6 million in 2024 and $8 million in 2025, figures that placed him among the league’s higher-paid backup quarterbacks.
His recent performance, however, has drawn mixed reviews. Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman offered a sobering assessment of the market.
“He went 2-6 this year for Washington and is 9-17 as a starter since 2019, yet he’s the third- or fourth-best passer available,” he wrote.
“He had 10 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 2025, and the hope is that your backup quarterback can help you go .500 while a starter is out, but he hasn’t been there in a while.”
The Commanders endured a turbulent 2025 season, finishing 5-12 and missing the playoffs one year after a 12-5 run that culminated in an NFC Championship Game appearance.
Injuries played a defining role. Quarterback Jayden Daniels missed 10 games, while All-Pro receiver Terry McLaurin was sidelined for seven contests after signing a three-year, $97 million extension before the season.
Though Mariota posted a 2-6 record as a starter, the context of those defeats matter.
Four of those six losses were decided by one score or less, including two overtime defeats. He also delivered arguably his strongest outing against the Denver Broncos, widely regarded as one of the league’s top defenses.
In that 27-26 overtime loss, Mariota completed 28 of 50 passes for 294 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while adding 55 rushing yards on 10 carries.
Experience needed, not a savior
For the Chiefs, the calculation is pragmatic. They do not need a savior, they need stability.
A veteran capable of executing the offense, protecting the football and keeping the team competitive until Mahomes is fully cleared.
If Mariota ultimately becomes that bridge, it would not signal a changing of the guard in Kansas City.
Instead, it would reflect a franchise determined to avoid a lost season while safeguarding the health of its most indispensable player.
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