Brett Veach is going to have to attend to a bit more of the roster than he's used to this offseason.
As the Kansas City Chiefs general manager assesses the damage from a disastrous year in which K.C. missed the postseason after starting the year as Super Bowl favorites, Veach must take a close look at quarterback for the first time since Alex Smith passed the starting torch to Patrick Mahomes in 2018.
For the sake of review, Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in Week 15, and backup quarterback Gardner Minshew suffered a serious leg injury last Sunday. Just like that, the Chiefs were down to Chris OladokunOdd with tight end Noah Gray as emergency QB before signing Shane Buechele away from the Buffalo Bills practice squad.
That means the Chiefs come into an offseason not knowing who will start Week 1 in 2026. It would also be irresponsible if the franchise didn't prepare for a potential worst-case scenario for Mahomes' rehabilitation. That's not to say Veach needs to draft a new first-round quarterback, but pretending that Mahomes is still wearing a cape even after surgery and will be back just as strong as ever without any adjustments would be malpractice on his part.
With Patrick Mahomes’ recovery uncertain, the Chiefs face an unfamiliar offseason where quarterback contingency planning is unavoidable.
That puts the quarterback position under the spotlight in a different way this offseason in Kansas City, which is why Chiefs fans should get used to hearing about various QBs tied to the team in potential signings or trades. The latest name to be floated comes via oddsmakers—specifically listing the Chiefs as a favored destination for Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa
Tagovailoa has taken a tumble since the moment the Dolphins selected him as the No. 5 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. After claiming the starting role, Tagovailoa even put together some impressive statistical seasons and earned himself a lucrative four-year extension from the Dolphins' brass just one year ago.
Fast forward to the second season of his new contract, however, and Tagovailoa isn't even under center anymore. The starting role now belongs to rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers, leaving Tagovailoa on the bench and likely on the outs going forward.
Oddsmakers have the Chiefs as the team with the third-best odds to land Tagovailoa at 3/1, just after the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets. The Las Vegas Raiders and Indianapolis Colts are next. That feels weird to see the Chiefs listed alongside the typical franchises who are desperately searching for a franchise face year after year, but the QB situation is a different animal in 2026.
The truth is that Tagovailoa's availability for the Chiefs should be more of a long shot than that—unless the Dolphins are prepared to eat a ridiculous amount of money. The Dolphins face a $99.2 million dead money hit on the salary cap if they cut him outright, but the Chiefs lack the space to absorb any part of a deal like this with so many other issues to address.
The primary takeaway here is not about Tagovailoa. It's that the Chiefs are going to be connected to anyone available at the position in various offseason lists or projections. It's a new world for Chiefs fans and the front office as well—at least until Patrick Mahomes is upright and ready to play.