“He’s very far ahead of schedule,” Veach said during an appearance on SiriusXM. “I think the biggest challenge we’re going to have is protecting Mahomes from himself because I’m sure that when we get to St. Joseph, Missouri, for training camp, he’ll want to be fully involved.”

This important progress placed Mahomes in a position to potentially participate in parts of the Chiefs’ offseason training program if his recovery continues without setbacks. In fact, Mahomes’ progress allowed the Chiefs to waive Jake Haener without hesitation as the QB room is already full.

Preventive measures for the Chiefs

Mahomes is recovering from a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament and the lateral collateral ligament in his left knee, which he suffered last December in the Chiefs’ Week 15 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers. Although the typical recovery time is nine to 12 months, his current progress puts him on track to potentially return for training camp before the 2026 NFL season, if not earlier.

“It’s been really inspiring,” Veach said. “I’ve been there with Pat before, when he dislocated his knee and worked his tail off to come back in three weeks. I knew that that obstacle in the road wouldn’t slow him down at all.”

Even with Mahomes apparently ahead, Veach is focused on protecting him throughout the rehabilitation process. Although his return to the field would provide a boost, the team remains focused on taking a cautious and long-term approach rather than rushing him back.

“We’ll have to hold him back a little,” Veach said. “I don’t want to put a timetable on it, but I think you know the type of person and competitor that Pat Mahomes is. I would just say we’re in a pretty good place right now.” Now the focus shifted less on the knee itself and more on managing Mahomes’ competitive spirit.

“We had to, obviously, make a tough decision trading Trent McDuffie. In addition, we lost our CB2, Jaylen Watson. Ironically, both to the Rams. There are a lot of needs we had entering the draft but it’s very difficult when you lose CB1 and CB2,” Brett Veach revealed on The Pat McAfee Show.

“We certainly had our eyes on Mansoor and if there’s one way to Steve Spagnuolo’s hearts, it’s press corners that like to tackle. We certainly think Mansoor has the skillset that will fit nicely in this scheme and we’re certainly excited to have him.”

Spagnuolo has long been a trusted lieutenant of Andy Reid on a Chiefs team that recently has also changed its quarterback room. In this way, Delane fits this new scheme perfectly, as he is an elite press-man defender with 4.35 speed—a style that Kansas City typically runs at one of the highest rates in the league.

Spagnuolo knows how to maximize players in Kansas City

Steve Spagnuolo has earned a reputation as a defensive mastermind by transforming young, overlooked defensive backs into high-level NFL starters. Key examples of his development include L’Jarius Sneed, who evolved from a fourth-round pick into a versatile lockdown corner, and Trent McDuffie, who quickly became an All-Pro caliber defender under his guidance.

Other contributors like Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams also thrived as late-round picks, stepping up in critical moments to help the team. Spagnuolo’s aggressive, blitz-heavy schemes have been instrumental in the Chiefs’ success, as he has secured four Super Bowl rings as a defensive coordinator (one with the Giants and three with Kansas City), making him the only coordinator in NFL history to win titles with two different franchises.

How much can Mansoor bring to the Chiefs?

Mansoor Delane arrives at Chiefs Kingdom as a true blue-chip prospect after being selected 6th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. In his final season at LSU, he earned Unanimous All-American honors by allowing just 13 receptions for 147 yards all year, recording 13 passes defended and 2 interceptions while not giving up a single touchdown.

His elite 31.3 passer rating allowed—the second-best in his draft class—proves he is a lockdown defender who can immediately bolster Spagnuolo’s secondary. Given his high draft capital and specialized training under LSU’s Corey Raymond, he is the frontrunner to claim the CB1 spot, likely forming a formidable starting duo with Nohl Williams, who already established himself as a reliable starter with a 74.5 PFF grade during the 2025 season.

The team is now on a bigger mission, which is to achieve an unprecedented three-peat. Tough decisions had to be made in order to try and assemble the best possible roster, and that included parting with many players who celebrated the Super Bowl in February.

One of them was Kadarius Toney, who was released before the roster cuts last week. Speaking to the media about this decision, Veach admitted the team isn’t happy with how things went with the wide receiver.

“I mean, look, I think we’re certainly disappointed. I think he’s disappointed,” Veach said of Toney, though he heaped praise on the wideout. “We really like the kid, and I know that people could have different takes on Kadarius, but I know in this building, he’s a bright kid. He’s a smart kid. I think when you look back on it, some of the stuff is, is a stroke of bad luck in regards to some of the injuries you can’t control, like walking out the first day of training camp last year and tearing his MCL.”

Kadarius Toney’s lackluster 2023 season with Chiefs

Toney was troubled by injuries throughout the 2023 NFL season, having undergone knee surgery at the beginning of training camp. In the end, the Chiefs couldn’t find in him the weapon they needed for Mahomes.

With just 27 catches for 169 yards and a touchdown, Toney’s production at Arrowhead last year didn’t go to plan. In fact, he’s been part of a struggling WR room that failed to help Mahomes throughout the 2023 season.

The Chiefs gave up a third and a sixth-round pick to get Toney from the New York Giants in 2022. Even so, Veach has made it clear he has no regrets about making that trade.

“I don’t think we’re sitting here going for a third straight Super Bowl. Had we not made that trade,” said Veach. “So from that standpoint, do it all over again in a heartbeat. I think it’s always disappointing when a player’s tenure ends in that situation, meaning you will have players that the age catches up to them. You’ll have players where maybe it’s a really serious injury, and then you’ll have players that you move on from where the talent just wasn’t there. So I think when you have to move on from a player, and the full product, or the finished product, or untapping all that talent wasn’t realized, there’s a disappointment.”

Chris Jones wants a new contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. Given the significant contracts handed out to players in his position this offseason, his performance last season that included an impressive 15.5 sacks justifies a raise from his base salary of $19.5 million in 2023.

He has one year remaining on his current deal, so he chose to skip mandatory minicamp. The Chiefs faced a similar situation with Jones after their 2019 championship win, and general manager Brett Veach is confident they can extend him again.

The star defensive tackle didn’t practice with the team this week, but he has the support of Patrick Mahomes. Andy Reid also said he isn’t concerned, although there is no doubt they need Jones to pursue another Super Bowl.

Brett Veach is confident in extending Chris Jones

Veach has been one of the best general managers in the league. The Chiefs are a reliable organization especially building their roster, but they know that extending Jones will make things easier in that perspective. They would be able to reduce the 28.29M cap hit the defensive tackle currently has if they do so.

“We have great communication, and there’s a lot of time before camp. I feel good about where we’re going to be with Chris. We’ll get to celebrate, have a good time. I’m sure we’ll have great dialogue from now to the start of training camp, and look forward to Chris being here, not just for next year but for a long time”, Veach said according to Jordan Foote of Sports Illustrated.

He also mentioned the contract negotiation he had with Jones when the player got a four-year deal worth 80 million dollars. “We have a long history together, and we have a great relationship with his agents. These things usually get worked out right before or right during the start of camp. We anticipate the same, and we’ll see how it goes”, the general managers clarified for the fans.