According to Albert Breer, that’s a potential landing spot for the veteran wide receiver as uncertainty continues surrounding his future with the New England Patriots. “The Chiefs could make sense. The Commanders might, too, since Diggs is from D.C. The Falcons and Rams would also be interesting landing spots.”

The possibility immediately becomes a key topic around the NFL considering the offensive firepower already surrounding Mahomes. If Diggs somehow joined the Chiefs, he would become part of a terrifying offense featuring Travis Kelce, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and star running back Kenneth Walker III.

Patriots could still prevent Stefon Diggs from joining Chiefs

Even after Patrick Mahomes’ serious knee injury last season, the Chiefs continue aggressively building around their superstar quarterback for another Super Bowl run.

Adding a proven veteran like Diggs could give Andy Reid one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL once again. However, Breer also explained that everything may ultimately depend on whether the Patriots successfully complete their expected trade for A.J. Brown.

“Pessimism, I do think an A.J. Brown trade will happen. I also don’t think, for a variety of reasons, you’ll see Diggs and A.J. Brown together in New England. Now, I believe the Patriots love Diggs, and Diggs would love to return. But any realistic talk about his return, to me, hinges on whether the Brown trade happens. Assuming Brown does become a Patriot, I think Diggs will probably be somewhere in that one-year, $10 million range.”

That scenario could completely reshape the wide receiver market around the league. If the Patriots finalize a blockbuster move for Brown, Diggs would likely become one of the top veteran receivers available for contenders searching for another offensive weapon.

For Kansas City, the fit would certainly make sense. Mahomes has consistently thrived with elite route runners and experienced receivers, while Diggs would immediately benefit from playing inside Andy Reid’s creative offensive system.

At this point, nothing appears imminent. But if the Patriots land Brown, the possibility of Diggs catching passes from Mahomes in Kansas City could suddenly a possibility.

That could take some time, especially since the successful tandem from the Kansas City Chiefs is still active, meaning its win total (including playoffs) could continue to grow. What they could realistically surpass, however, is the duo of Marv Levy and Jim Kelly, who recorded 108 wins together (99 in the regular season and 9 in the playoffs) with the Buffalo Bills.

Since the creation of the Super Bowl in 1966, the NFL has featured highly successful quarterback-coach duos such as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, as well as Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. This is the list in which both Rodgers and McCarthy, who reunite in Pittsburgh many years after their time together on the Green Bay Packers, will look to continue climbing the rankings.

Rodgers returns to Pittsburgh

According to NFL media, quarterback Aaron Rodgers is returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 22nd NFL season after agreeing to terms on a one-year deal worth up to $25 million. The contract is expected to feature a base salary between $22 million and $23 million, with the remaining amount structured through a few million dollars in performance incentives.

Aaron Rodgers looks to build on 2025 success

Heading into his second consecutive year with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Aaron Rodgers is locked in to elevate an offense that leaned heavily on conservative play-calling last season. Despite leading the team to an AFC North title, Rodgers posted a career-low 3,322 passing yards over 16 regular-season games, paired with a modest 24 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

Reunited with Mike McCarthy—whose system historically pushed the ball much deeper downfield—the 42-year-old signal-caller will look to drastically improve upon his league-worst 6.1-yard average target depth and replicate the aggressive, high-flying aerial attack that once defined their championship years together.

While reports indicate Mahomes is ahead of schedule after suffering devastating ACL and LCL injuries, Schefter warned that returning to the field and getting to peak form are not necessarily the same thing.

“As much as we know Patrick Mahomes, and as great as he’s been, I don’t know that we know what we’re going to get from Patrick Mahomes early on. Let’s not diminish the fact that he tore his ACL, he tore his LCL, he’s had a toe injury. This is a major injury. How does a player come back from that?”

The comments reflect a tough reality for the Chiefs entering the 2026 season. Patrick Mahomes may ultimately be available for Week 1, but there is still uncertainty regarding how explosive, mobile, and physically comfortable he will look immediately after returning from one of the most serious injuries of his career.

Adam Schefter issues strong warning to Chiefs

Adam Schefter doubled down on those concerns while discussing Kansas City’s season opener and the expectations surrounding Mahomes’ return. “When he comes back right away, assuming he plays that Monday Night opener, do you think we’re getting the full-on Patrick Mahomes in Week 1?”

Perhaps the good news for the Chiefs is that the opening month of the schedule does not appear overwhelmingly difficult on paper. Kansas City will begin the year against the Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, and Las Vegas Raiders before reaching an early bye week in Week 5.

That lighter opening stretch could become extremely important if Mahomes needs time to fully regain rhythm and confidence physically. However, the challenge grows dramatically later in the season when the Chiefs face a brutal closing schedule loaded with Super Bowl contenders and elite quarterbacks.

For Andy Reid and Kansas City, the goal may simply be surviving the early portion of the season while Mahomes continues progressing in his recovery. If the star quarterback can gradually return to full strength by the second half of the year, the Chiefs could once again become one of the NFL’s most dangerous teams entering the playoffs.

According to Reid, Mahomes is “doing great right now and that’s kinda how you gotta go about this. People go ‘well, he’s ahead of schedule.’ Who made the schedule? Everybody’s different, let’s just take it day by day... He hasn’t missed a day and he wants more, all the things that are Patrick Mahomes.”

By getting two primetime games in the first two weeks, the schedule suggests that the NFL thinks Mahomes will be ready to go. However, Reid did say that the Chiefs haven’t spoke to the NFL about the quarterback’s recovery.

Who are the Chiefs facing in the two first weeks?

Regular season starts in early September, and the Chiefs’ Week 1 opponent is none other than AFC West foe, the Denver Broncos, who they’ll face on Monday Night Football. The Broncos were the ones to end the Chiefs division-winning streak last season.

In Week 2, they’ll host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football. Ironically enough, the Chiefs, Broncos, and Colts are all facing QB uncertainty. The Broncos are racing to see how fast Bo Nix recovers from an ankle injury, while the Colts are monitoring how Daniel Jones recovers from an Achilles tear.

Chiefs have six primetime games in 2026

Besides the first two weeks vs. Broncos and Colts, the Chiefs have a plethora of primetime games awaiting. In Week 7, they visit the Seahawks for a Sunday Night Football showdown. During Thanksgiving, they will play at Buffalo to close out the slate.

Then, Week 13 comes and they play on Thursday Night Football, again as the away side to the Los Angeles Rams. Their last primetime game is a home Monday Night Football matchup against the New England Patriots.

That means Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will potentially have to battle three of the league’s elite quarterbacks in hostile environments: Josh Allen in Buffalo, Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles, and Joe Burrow in Cincinnati. It’s the kind of schedule sequence that could ultimately shape playoff seeding across the AFC and determine whether Kansas City can once again secure home-field advantage.

As if that road gauntlet were not difficult enough, the Chiefs will then return to Arrowhead Stadium in Week 15 to face the Patriots, a team coming off a Super Bowl appearance last season and the revamped 49ers in Week 16. On paper, it is one of the most demanding five-game stretches any contender will face during the 2026 campaign.

Chiefs 2026 full schedule

The Chiefs will open the season against the Denver Broncos before facing the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, and Las Vegas Raiders prior to their bye week. After that break, Kansas City’s schedule becomes significantly more challenging.

Following the bye, the Chiefs will face the Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, and Arizona Cardinals before entering the brutal late-season stretch against the Bills, Rams, Bengals, Patriots, and 49ers.

Kansas City will then close the regular season against the Los Angeles Chargers, and Las Vegas Raiders. If Patrick Mahomes is fully healthy after his ACL and LCL recovery, the Chiefs once again appear built for another Super Bowl run, although the path through this schedule will be anything but easy.

The Chiefs are scheduled to face Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos in the first Monday Night Football game of the year, immediately putting Mahomes and Kansas City at the center of the NFL’s opening week. Even more interesting, the Chiefs will follow that up with another primetime appearance in Week 2 when they host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football.

Both games will take place at Arrowhead Stadium, creating a massive national stage for Kansas City early in the season. While nothing is officially guaranteed regarding Mahomes’ status, the NFL’s scheduling decisions strongly suggest the league believes the star will be ready to play.

NFL schedule could reveal confidence in Patrick Mahomes’ recovery

It would be extremely difficult to imagine the NFL investing multiple early-season primetime slots in the Chiefs without having strong confidence that Patrick Mahomes remains on schedule in his recovery process. If there were major doubts about his availability, the league easily could have saved those marquee windows for later in the calendar.

Instead, Kansas City immediately received two of the league’s biggest standalone games within the first two weeks of the season. That scheduling approach feels like a clear indication that both the Chiefs and the NFL expect Mahomes to be back under center sooner rather than later.

So far, every major report surrounding Mahomes’ recovery has been overwhelmingly positive, with multiple insiders indicating the quarterback is ahead of schedule in his rehab process.

The NFL also understands that even without entering the season as defending Super Bowl champions, the Chiefs remain one of the league’s biggest attractions thanks to Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and, of course, the continued Taylor Swift factor surrounding the franchise.

“The feeling right now within the organization is that Patrick Mahomes is tracking to be ready for that Monday night game against Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos in Kansas City.”

The Chiefs are expected to have an explosive offense after signing Kenneth Walker III as their star running back. In addition, Travis Kelce will be back, and they are hoping the wide receiver group finally takes a major step forward with Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice.

Will Patrick Mahomes play in 2026 season with Chiefs?

Yes. Patrick Mahomes is expected to play for the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2026 season and, in fact, Schefter’s report matches what Andy Reid has mentioned in recent weeks. The quarterback is ahead of schedule and is expected to be ready for the opener against the Denver Broncos.

What injury does Patrick Mahomes have?

Patrick Mahomes suffered a serious injury with torn ACL and LCL in his left knee. It happened during the Week 15 game of the 2025 season against the Los Angeles Chargers while he was trying to lead a final drive to keep the team’s playoff hopes alive.

How long will Patrick Mahomes be out?

Patrick Mahomes was initially expected to miss nine months, although the reality is that his recovery has been impressive. The quarterback could even appear during OTAs, and the current timeline indicates he will be ready for the start of the 2026 season.

According to insider Adam Schefter through his X account, the venue is still to be determined as the NFL still is finalizing its schedule for Thursday’s release. The game will be played on September 14.

Mahomes remains on track for the upcoming OTAs, so the hope of seeing him in Week 1 is very big. Chiefs Kingdom imperiously need their biggest star in order to reverse the last image outside the playoffs.

Reid has several alternatives in the Chiefs QB room

Andy Reid can be proud of having one of the most interesting QB rooms this season in the American Conference. A mix of veteran presence, experience, and also youth makes the Kansas City Chiefs well covered in the event of a potential absence of Patrick Mahomes.

Justin Fields arrived as the primary backup after his stint with the New York Jets. In addition, in the latest draft they bet on the talent of Garrett Nussmeier, who, despite his injury history, has shown flashes of great talent in his last season with the LSU Tigers.

Finally, the veteran Chris Oladokun remained in the rotation. The one who was not as fortunate as his peers was Jake Haener, who was recently cut by the Chiefs.

The tragic end of the season for Mahomes

The hopes of finishing the 2025 season in a respectable way for the Kansas City Chiefs finally sank during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Week 15. There, on an unfortunate play, Patrick Mahomes suffered a serious anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear along with damage to the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) in his left knee. The injury required immediate surgery, so the quarterback had to go through a tough recovery process.

Latest’s meetings between Chiefs and Broncos

The Denver Broncos have shifted the momentum in this AFC West rivalry by winning both of their most recent encounters during the 2025 season. Denver first secured a hard-fought 22–19 victory on November 16, 2025, proving it could shut down the Kansas City offense in key moments. They followed that performance with a definitive 20–13 win on Christmas Day, effectively sweeping the season series and signaling a change in the divisional standings.

Mike Garafolo, via his X account, reported the information regarding the Broncos’ invitation for E.J. Warner to participate in this important event. Likewise, the former Fresno State college player also spent time at the Chiefs Kingdom facilities this past weekend.

Kurt Warner’s story has become one of the most iconic moments in NFL history in recent years. Can his son somehow replicate what he accomplished in this new stage of his career?

E.J. Warner’s leap to the NFL

E.J. Warner’s 2025 campaign with Fresno State showcased his high-volume passing ability, as he recorded 2,030 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while maintaining a 54.3 QBR across 10 games. Although he led the Bulldogs to a 7-3 record as a starter and displayed elite efficiency in a bowl win over Miami (OH), his persistent struggle with turnovers—averaging at least 11 interceptions in each of his four collegiate seasons—remains a concern for scouts.

Standing at 6’0″, Warner is often compared to players like Brock Purdy due to his undersized frame and productive output. His experience and nearly 11,000 career passing yards give him a legitimate shot to compete for an NFL roster spot as a developmental prospect or a priority undrafted free agent.

Chiefs and Broncos QB situation

While both franchises have prioritized stability around their starting signal-callers, they have taken vastly different paths in shaping their rooms this offseason. The AFC West landscape shifted recently with the Chiefs parting ways with Jake Haener to trim a crowded unit that now features a high-profile backup and a fresh developmental arm, always lead by Patrick Mahomes.

Meanwhile, in Denver, Sean Payton‘s focus remains on the continued dominance of their third-year franchise cornerstone Bo Nix, supported by a veteran room designed to provide experienced relief if needed.

Kurt Warner’s memorable story

Kurt Warner’s trajectory is often cited as the ultimate “Cinderella story.” After going undrafted and famously stocking shelves at a Hy-Vee grocery store to make ends meet, he honed his skills in the Arena Football League and NFL Europe.

His breakthrough came in 1999 with the St. Louis Rams, where he led the high-powered offense to a Super Bowl XXXIV title while earning both league and Super Bowl MVP honors. Warner later revitalized his career by leading the Arizona Cardinals to their first-ever Super Bowl appearance in 2009, eventually finishing his journey with two MVP awards and a first-ballot induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“They know how to win here…Me and Andy Reid, he’s just a cool, laidback coach and he loves the players,” the running back said on First Things First. Although the last season saw Chiefs Kingdom miss the playoffs, what Walker III says is indeed true.

In the last 10 years, the Kansas City Chiefs have appeared in five Super Bowls: they won 3 and lost 2. Could they once again reach the top of the NFL this season?

Walker III will have Bieniemy as his new OC

Walker III is coming off a successful stint in Seattle, having been crowned MVP of the most recent Super Bowl under Klint Kubiak’s leadership. Now, he will have a new leader in Eric Bieniemy, whose intensity he has already praised as a signature trait.

“Just intense. Like, from the first night I met him, we were just meeting up going to dinner, he was talking like stuff that I did wrong on the field, talking about everything I needed to be detailed at, so I knew what I was getting into when I met him,” the RB said on the Up & Adams Show. “He wants the best for everybody, but he’s got high standards. That’s good if you want to be better.”

Andy Reid’s rushing options

Heading into the 2026 season, Andy Reid’s offense features an explosive new dimension with Kenneth Walker III leading the backfield after his high-profile signing in free agency. Walker provides the elite tackle-breaking ability and home-run threat that perfectly complements Patrick Mahomes’ passing attack.

Supporting him is a versatile rotation including the reliable Emari Demercado as a primary backup and Brashard Smith, who provides speed in specialized roles. With the addition of rookie Emmett Johnson from the draft, the Chiefs’ “rushing room” is now one of the most dynamic and complete units in the league, offering Reid a variety of creative ways to keep opposing defenses off-balance.

There is only winning for the Chiefs

Chiefs enter the 2026 season looking to reclaim their throne after a disappointing 2025 campaign, where they finished with a 6-11 record, surprisingly landing behind both the Broncos and the Chargers in the AFC West.

The last time this team played in a Super Bowl was on February 9, 2025. Back then, the Chiefs were defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles 40–22 in Super Bowl LIX.

On Monday, the Chiefs announced a number of roster moves, including waiving Haener, who spent only a few months in Kansas City after signing a reserve/future contract in February.

Haener was released alongside DE Ethan Hurkett and DT Zacch Pickens as the Chiefs made room for free agents WR Xavier Loyd, DB Marlen Sewell, and T Kahlil Benson.

Jake Haener’s brief NFL experience

Haener, 27, spent three years with the New Orleans Saints (2023-2025) after being selected with the 127th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

In eight appearances with the Saints (one start), Haener completed 18 of 39 passes for 226 yards for a touchdown and an interception. He also had 11 scrambles for 22 yards and got sacked six times.

Chiefs QB room has enough depth behind Mahomes

When Haener joined the Chiefs, the team was heading into the offseason with Chris Oladokun as its only healthy QB under contract. Mahomes, facing a long rehab after underdoing knee surgery to repair ACL and LCL injuries, had the team wondering how to navigate these months until his recovery.

But the Chiefs QB situation got clearer with free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft. Kansas City first signed Justin Fields, who has a big fan in Reid, and then went on to draft LSU product Garrett Nussmeier, who’s willing to sit back and learn from Reid and Mahomes.

The Chiefs now have enough options in the QB room, which GM Brett Veach considers the best in the NFL. And with Reid recently suggesting Mahomes is on track to be at OTAs (Organized Team Activities) later this month, Haener was no longer needed.