Andy Reid handed worrying Patrick Mahomes’ injury update as Chiefs offense heads for Plan B

As the Kansas City Chiefs pivot toward a massive offensive overhaul this offseason, head coach Andy Reid is facing a sobering reality regarding the physical toll being placed on his superstar quarterback.

The Chiefs are officially entering a rebrand phase, welcoming back Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator to replace Matt Nagy for the 2026 season.

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However, the excitement of Bieniemy’s return is being met with caution following a worrying assessment of Patrick Mahomes‘ current trajectory and the lingering effects of the knee injury that cut his 2025 campaign short.

Speaking on “The Zone” on Sports Radio 810 WHB with Jason Anderson, ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky offered a blunt critique of how the Chiefs have managed their most valuable asset.

Orlovsky suggested that the workload Mahomes has carried over the last few seasons is unsustainable and played a role in the “slow fade” of his efficiency.

“It’s like a slow fade with Patrick in Kansas City, where over the past two-and-a-half years, he has been asked to do more and more,” Orlovsky told Anderson.

“It’s easy to say, ‘You’re Patrick Mahomes, you can do it,’ but just because he can doesn’t mean he should carry that load for most of an 18-game season and playoffs.”

The stats from 2025 back up the concern.

Before the knee injury sidelined him, Mahomes managed 22 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions in 14 games. While he remained a dual-threat weapon, rushing for 422 yards and five scores, the physical demands of being the team’s primary engine eventually caught up to him.

The injury update isn’t just about the physical recovery of the knee; it’s about the structural health of the offense. Orlovsky noted that while other quarterbacks in the league may have played better than Mahomes last year, it was largely due to their environment.

“I’ve been outspoken that there are a lot of scheme things that I still think are lacking. Go under center more, put bigger bodies in. I still think he’s going to be at the highest. He just doesn’t have to do it 45 snaps a game, and I think it helps everybody else,” Orlovsky said

“Patrick (Mahomes) is still the most talented player at that position. Are guys playing better than him this past year? Yes, but that doesn’t mean they are; it’s just maybe they’re in a slightly healthier situation where they’re not asked to do as much.”

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The return of Bieniemy is expected to be the catalyst for this change.

The Chiefs’ leadership is reportedly looking to move away from the dink-and-dunk reliability of the Nagy era and return to the explosive, vertical identity that defined the early Mahomes years.

To protect Mahomes and rejuvenate the unit, Orlovsky expects Bieniemy to implement concepts that have been lacking to alleviate the pressure on number 15.

As Reid and Bieniemy put their heads together this offseason, the mission is clear: evolve the scheme to ensure that Mahomes doesn’t have to be a superhero on every snap.

For the Chiefs to return to Super Bowl contention in 2026, the rebrand must prioritize Mahomes’ longevity over his individual output.

“I’ll be interested to see with EB (Eric Bieniemy) coming back, how they evolve,” Orlovsky concluded.

For Chiefs Kingdom, that evolution can’t come soon enough.

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