Patrick Mahomes looked worn by the end of the season. Between the injuries and an offense that never quite clicked, the Kansas City Chiefs stumbled to a 6–11 finish that felt heavier than the record alone suggests. With the year now over, the focus has turned to what needs fixing and whether the changes Andy Reid is weighing will line up with what his quarterback knows best.

“I think the only connection there is that you would say, hey, this is a guy that Patrick Mahomes has worked with and is a fan of, so maybe it would work there,” Matt Derrick said in a recent episode of the Locked On Chiefs podcast. “Honestly, even though Kliff Kingsbury and Andy Reid haven’t worked together, Kingsbury isn’t exactly outside the Venn diagram of Andy Reid either-they have a lot of overlap.”

Washington and Kingsbury mutually moved on after a brutal, injury-filled season where the offense never found rhythm, especially with Jayden Daniels missing long stretches, which led to bottom-tier results in scoring and yardage, forcing a reset. At the same time, Kansas City dealt with its own offensive problems. Injuries piled up, and the run game fell apart, finishing near the bottom of the league with Kareem Hunt carrying most of the load (611 yards and eight touchdowns). A very little help behind him made the offense easier to defend.

Now, as free agency remains weeks away, the likelihood of a coaching change in Kansas City has grown more concrete. Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, whose contract is expiring, is widely expected to interview for multiple head coaching jobs, including with the Titans, Raiders, and Cardinals. Several league insiders view him as a legitimate candidate, making his departure increasingly realistic.

On the other hand, Kingsbury suddenly becomes a recognizable option on the market. Still, given how Washington’s offense looked even with the injury context, Andy Reid may hesitate to go that route. What makes it intriguing is the history. Since Kingsbury was the coach who first offered Patrick Mahomes a scholarship at Texas Tech, a connection (2014-16) that dates back to the same week Andy Reid was hired in Kansas City, tying everything together in a full-circle moment.

“Coach Kingsbury never, ever forced me to be just a pocket passer, or hold the ball a certain way. He just let me be me,” Mahomes recalled.

So, is a reunion realistic? Reid has long preferred filling his staff with coaches he knows well and trusts, which complicates Kingsbury’s candidacy. At the same time, Kansas City’s offensive decline under Nagy adds context to why change feels inevitable. After ranking first or second in yards per play for five straight seasons in the early Mahomes era, the Chiefs slipped to ninth in 2023, then fell further to 22nd in 2024 and 23rd in 2025. They also finished 20th in total offense and 25th in rushing this past season, a sharp contrast to the standard the team once set.

That statistical drop does not erase Nagy’s résumé, which includes a 12–4 season and Coach of the Year honors in Chicago, but it underscores why Kansas City may be ready for a different offensive voice. Kingsbury’s familiarity with Mahomes could offer continuity rather than reinvention, especially for a quarterback coming off a lost year and a major injury.

While the front office weighs its options for the coaching staff, the team’s top priority remains the health of its franchise quarterback.

Andy Reid drops a major update on Patrick Mahomes’ injury

This time last year, Patrick Mahomes was preparing himself on the path to the Kansas City Chiefs’ 7th Super Bowl appearance. However, the situation is quite the opposite this time as the QB not only struggled through a disappointing season but also suffered a season-ending injury. While fans have been eagerly awaiting an update on the issues, the team’s head coach, Andy Reid, stepped forward to shed light on the current scenario.

“First of all, he’s doing great for just being three weeks out or so. He’ll go ahead and most likely stay up here for the majority of the time rehabbing,” Reid said. “He and Julie Frymyer, she’s the person who does all that RPT [rehab physical therapy], and so he has a lot of trust in her, and he’s been just in there grinding. I think they’ll just continue till we get started again. Not that he won’t take a break here or there, but right now, he’s in that early process where you’ve got to really hit it hard.”

Julie Frymyer has a long history of working with Mahomes during past playoff runs when he dealt with ankle issues and when he suffered a kneecap injury during the 2019 season. That experience is seen as a major positive as Mahomes begins rehab again. Chiefs head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder previously said Frymyer will manage Mahomes’ rehabilitation as his knee rebuilds strength.