Heading into the 2026 offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs were in unfamiliar territory with several major question marks surrounding the quarterback room. For almost a decade now, Patrick Mahomes has been arguably the best quarterback in football and was a sure thing across the league. Mahomes leading the Kansas City offense was the closest thing to a lock you could find.
Unfortunately, after the first major injury of his NFL career with a torn ACL and LCL, Mahomes missed the end of the 2025 season. Going into the offseason, people started asking how long it would take Mahomes to return to the football field. While Mahomes said that his goal was to be ready for Week 1, many fans had doubts, and the depth of the Chiefs' quarterback room came into question.
With 2025 backup quarterback Gardner Minshew heading to Arizona, the Chiefs QB2 conversation started to heat up. With Andy Reid and Brett Veach's history of managing the Chiefs' roster, the expectation was that Kansas City would sign a veteran signal-caller through free agency. But instead, the Chiefs made a trade with the Jets to acquire former first-round pick Justin Fields. Doing so helped Kansas City retain a comp pick in 2027, while also getting an experienced backup for Mahomes in 2026.
The expectation in Kansas City still remains that Mahomes will be back for Week 1. But there is confidence that Justin Fields can be a reliable quarterback for the Chiefs if he does miss a couple of games to start the year.
Behind Mahomes and Fields, the Chiefs also drafted Garrett Nussmeier in the seventh round and retained Chris Oladokun, who has been with the team since 2022. So what does the depth chart look like, and how will these quarterbacks impact the Chiefs in 2026 and beyond?
QB1: Patrick Mahomes
We can keep this short and sweet. When healthy, Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL and maybe in league history. If his knee is good to go, he is the Chiefs' starter for Week 1 and hopefully will continue his dominance for another decade wearing the red and gold.
QB2: Justin Fields
For the first time in his NFL career since being drafted in the first round by the Bears five years ago, Justin Fields is preparing for life as a backup. As mentioned above, given the uncertainty surrounding Mahomes' injury, it is entirely possible that Fields will play in several games early in the year. But there is little to no long term role for Fields in the Chiefs' offense and he will likely hit the open market next offseason looking for a new home.
It is worth noting that Fields is one of the best quarterbacks in football at making plays in space with the ball. He has great speed and does a great job picking up yards with his legs. Even if Mahomes starts the year, Fields could have limited packages in which his threat to throw and run with the ball is utilized.
Also, fun fact (well, maybe not for the Bears): Justin Fields is the most recent Bears player to rush for over 1,100 yards.
QB3: Garrett Nussmeier
Coming into the 2025 season, many scouts thought Nussmeier could hear his name called in the top 10 of the draft. While those expectations did not come true, and Nuss fell all the way to pick 249, the Chiefs are excited about what he can provide as a depth piece over the next several years.
Nussmeier has that gunslinger mentality that helped make Patrick Mahomes a superstar, and the Chiefs hope that he can learn from Mahomes as he settles into a role in the NFL.
QB4: Chris Oladokun
After almost four years with the Chiefs, it is hard to imagine Oladokun playing anywhere else next season. He is a beloved player in the facility, and players, coaches, and fans love what he has brought to the scout team and practice squad.
Oladokun brings something fans almost never see, and his ability to help the team prepare for the week ahead has been raved about by the coaches and players. It feels likely that he will be the Chiefs' guy on the practice squad yet again in 2026.
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