who is chiefs backup qb

The Kansas City Chiefs’ primary backup quarterback behind Patrick Mahomes is veteran Gardner Minshew as of the 2025 season and heading into the 2026 offseason discussions.

Current backup QB

• Gardner Minshew, a veteran who has started close to 50 NFL games, joined the Chiefs to serve as Mahomes’ backup and has been referenced repeatedly as the team’s QB2.

• Coverage of Mahomes’ late-2025 injury notes that “Gardner Minshew serves as the backup quarterback” and explains that he is on a one‑year deal with Kansas City.

2026 context and chatter

• Late‑2025 and early‑2026 articles focus on whether the Chiefs will keep Minshew, with some pieces calling him “the best option for the Chiefs as a backup quarterback for 2026,” though his contract situation means the team could explore other veterans.

• Speculation pieces kick around names like Kenny Pickett or Kirk Cousins as possible short‑term options if Mahomes is not ready for the start of 2026, but those are framed as possibilities, not current depth‑chart reality.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.