Chris Oladokun knows he’s facing the chance of his life on the Kansas City Chiefs. With both Gardner Minshew and Patrick Mahomes done for the year, Andy Reid is trusting in the 28-year-old to lead the offense as the 2025 NFL season comes to an end.
“It has definitely been crazy… Just a lot of prep getting ready for this game. Super excited to go out there and show the world what I’ve got,” Oladokun said Wednesday ahead of the Chiefs‘ Week 17 game against the Denver Broncos on Christmas.
Oladokun had already dropped a bold admission for Reid to hear about his performance replacing Minshew against the Tennessee Titans in Week 16, and now he’ll get to prove his worth by playing quarterback from the start.
It’s been quite a turnaround for the Tampa native, who was part of the roster cuts both in 2024 and 2025 before rejoining the Chiefs on practice squad contracts. Now that he’s starting, Oladokun promised Reid that he will seize his opportunity.
Chiefs’ Chris Oladokun looks to pass against the Titans.
“Internally, it really motivated me,” Oladokun said about being released by the Chiefs in 2024 before returning later in the campaign. “It made me look in the mirror about what I needed to get better at… If I get another chance, I won’t let it slip.”
Oladokun had to wait for his chance with Chiefs
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Oladokun found a home in Kansas City when the Pittsburgh Steelers cut him just months after selecting him in the seventh-round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but it took him years to get playing time.
After a brief 2024 cameo in which he recorded just five snaps, including one rush for five yards, Oladokun made his second NFL appearance when Minshew got injured against the Titans on Sunday.
The Chiefs lost 9-26, but Reid’s message for Oladokun was positive, regretting not giving him more preparation during the week. The South Dakota State product stepped up in challenging circumstances, completing 11 of 16 passes for 111 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, taking four sacks.
Oladokun set to finish 2025 as Chiefs QB1
Such a performance allowed Oladokun to make a clear statement to Reid about the Chiefs QB job with Minshew and Mahomes injured, with the quarterback feeling confident of being the right guy for the job.
The coaching staff in Kansas City appears to believe in him, at least for the time being. The Chiefs did sign a new quarterback in Shane Buechele, who knows Oladokun and Reid from a previous stint at Arrowhead. But that move was simply to add depth in the QB room for the final two games of the year.
Oladokun auditioning for 2026 contract with Chiefs
It’s fair to wonder what will happen in 2026 though. With Mahomes‘ recovery taking up to nine months, the Chiefs will need healthy quarterbacks in training camp and preseason.
Minshew was expected to audition for an extension, but his injury might force the team to consider other candidates. In this situation, now it’s Oladokun who appears to be playing for his future in Kansas City.
He knows the system but also knows what it’s like to be let go, an experience he doesn’t want to go through again. Based on his recent promise, expect Oladokun to make an effort to impress Reid.
