Gardner

Minshew

Minshew was initially believed to have suffered a torn ACL in Week 16. The issue would have sidelined him for much of 2026, if not the entire season. Per Schefter, it was just a bone bruise that did not require surgery. Minshew did not suffer any long-term damage from the injury. Minshew will head into free agency with a clean bill of health. At just 29 years old, Minshew should have no issues finding another backup gig in the spring.

Minshew received good news regarding his knee injury on Monday, but with just two weeks left in the regular season, it was apparent he would not be able to return in time to avoid the IR designation. The seventh-year signal-caller signed a one-year contract with the Chiefs this offseason but only appeared in two games. One of the better backups the league has to offer, Minshew should have no trouble finding a new home in 2026, given the current state of the quarterback landscape across the league.

Minshew is still dealing with a knee injury, but the veteran quarterback avoided the worst in Sunday’s loss. Minshew threw for just 15 yards on eight pass attempts against the Titans and will miss Sunday’s game against the Broncos. The Chiefs have already signed QB Shane Buechele off the Bills’ practice squad. He will presumably serve as the team’s QB2 behind Chris Oladokun on Thursday.

Minshew needs additional testing, but the injury indeed looked serious when the quarterback got rolled up on the final play of the Chiefs’ opening drive. The 29-year-old spent another quarter trying to play through it before finally admitting defeat. Minshew was wildly ineffective in doing so. We should have final word on his status by Monday afternoon. Chris Oladokun is the next man up for Thursday’s game against the Broncos.

Minshew is technically questionable, but he departed midway through the second quarter after getting rolled up on the opening series. He had been limping around ever since, and it seems like he can no longer give it a go. 2022 seventh-rounder Chris Oladokun is now in the game at quarterback. An already dismal Week 16 Chiefs outlook is now even more so. Minshew had generated just 15 yards on eight attempts before departing.

Andy Reid never confirmed as such at a presser today — the last three games of the Chiefs season are not exactly a pressing topic right now for some reason — but Minshew replaced Patrick Mahomes after Mahomes tore his ACL in Week 15. A date against the Titans is promising for some superflex QB2 consideration this week, but the Broncos over Christmas in Week 17 will likely be a game where the Chiefs just try to survive on offense.

We are not injury experts here at Rotoworld, so we don’t have much to offer regarding what this second opinion could mean for Mahomes. The Chiefs’ star quarterback was confirmed to have suffered a torn ACL in Week 15’s loss to the Chargers and is expected to miss the rest of the season. Gardner Minshew, who has backed up Mahomes all season, is expected to draw the start as the now-eliminated Chiefs look to finish out the final three games of their 2025 schedule.

Reid acknowledged to reporters that Mahomes’ late-game knee injury against the Chargers “didn’t look good.” Mahomes was down on the turf for a couple minutes before being helped to the KC locker room. He was seen not putting any weight on his injured knee on his way to the locker room. The Chiefs being eliminated from postseason contention with their Week 15 loss to the Chargers likely means we won’t see Mahomes, 30, under center again in 2025. Gardner Minshew will start for the Chiefs if Mahomes is out. He could face a lengthy recovery depending on the seriousness of the knee injury. Minshew can be added in superflex formats ahead of KC’s Week 16 game against the Titans.

Mahomes clearly wasn’t 100 percent coming into the game with a left knee issue that cost him recent practice time. In the final minutes of the game against the Chargers, with the Chiefs looking to tie the game with a field goal, Mahomes stepped awkwardly while being tackled from behind. He appeared to hyperextend his left knee and was down on the ground surrounded by trainers for a couple minutes before hobbling to the sideline. Mahomes had 189 yards and an interception in another underwhelming performance before suffering the knee injury. Gardner Minshew is at quarterback while Mahomes gets evaluated in the locker room. Kansas City’s 2025 season is effectively over.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport notes that Minshew “still has guaranteed money coming from” his contract with the Raiders, meaning he probably comes on an offset contract for Kansas City. This is a great spot for Minshew. The 28-year-old journeyman will get to learn from Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes before rolling the dice in free agency one year from now. We’re unsure if this is the end of teams talking themselves into Minshew as a bridge starter, but he should definitely upgrade the Chiefs’ Week 18 attack over what Carson Wentz offered this past season.