The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off their worst record since 2012, which got Romeo Crennel fired and Andy Reid hired as head coach. While Patrick Mahomes‘ ACL tear played a factor, the Chiefs’ problems started long before his Week 15 injury.
Of course, Mahomes’ injury didn’t help matters, but the Chiefs were already eliminated from playoff contention at that point. Still, the Chiefs could have rallied around their fallen soldier, but they ended up losing the rest of their contests, ending the season on a six-game losing streak.
However, it didn’t help that Mahomes’ primary backup quarterback, Gardner Minshew III, also suffered a torn ACL in his starting debut the very next week. Only now, we’ve learned that Minshew’s season-ending ACL tear wasn’t as serious as everyone thought.
In fact, according to ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter, Minshew didn’t end up tearing his ACL at all. It was just a simple bone bruise.
Minshew didn’t require any surgery or long-term damage to his knee. He’s already back to full strength and ready to enter free agency with a clean bill of health.
That’s a drastically different outlook from one that would typically force him to rehab all offseason long in hopes of being ready in time for the start of the regular season. While the one-time Pro Bowl QB is unlikely to factor into a starting QB competition in 2026, he could once again land a role as a top backup and being healthy and ready to go will surely help his market develop.
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