Patrick Mahomes is the primary starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, though he is currently rehabbing from a major knee injury suffered late in the 2025 season. When healthy, he remains the face of the franchise and the top option at QB for Kansas City.

Quick scoop: Chiefs QB room

  • Patrick Mahomes is the long-time starter and Super Bowlā€“winning quarterback for the Chiefs. He became the fullā€‘time starter in 2018 and has led them to multiple Super Bowl appearances and titles.
  • In December 2025 he suffered a torn ACL (and related knee damage), ending his 2025 season and putting him into a rehab timeline aimed at returning for Week 1 of the next season.

Who plays if Mahomes is out?

  • With Mahomes injured late in 2025, Gardner Minshew initially stepped in as the next man up at quarterback for Kansas City. He had been signed as the primary backup and took over in-game after Mahomes went down.
  • Reports then noted that the Chiefs were expected to add more depth at QB (for example by looking at options like Bailey Zappe) to keep the room stocked while Mahomes recovered.

Latest news and context

  • Recent coverage around the Chiefs has focused on the ā€œlostā€ 2025 season, Mahomesā€™ knee surgery, and his rehab progress toward being ready for the following year. This has sparked a lot of discussion about whether the Chiefsā€™ offensive struggles are more about pass protection, injuries, or defensive issues around the league.
  • Even with the injury, Mahomes is still listed and discussed as the Chiefsā€™ franchise quarterback going forward, with the expectation that he returns to the starting role once fully healthy.

TL;DR: The quarterback for the Chiefs is Patrick Mahomes (their longā€‘time starter and franchise QB); backups like Gardner Minshew have filled in only while Mahomes recovers from injury.

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