Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes may not start the NFL season, according to an analyst from ESPN.
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are amid the offseason, and Mahomes, of course, is rehabbing from an ACL and LCL injury that he sustained during the 2025-26 season. While Mahomes has been expected to start for the Chiefs in September when the 2026-27 games kick in, some don’t think that will happen.

Mahomes is the heartbeat of the Kansas City Chiefs, and without him, the team doesn’t really have a chance to get back to the big game. During the 2025-26 NFL regular season, Mahomes notched 3,587 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, according to NFL research. He also had a 62.7 completion percentage.

Now, it’s being predicted that Mahomes won’t start the 2026 season. So, who will start for the Kansas City Chiefs? Here’s a possible starter.

Kansas City Chiefs May Start the 2026 Season Without Patrick Mahomes
In a Tuesday, February 24, feature for ESPN, NFL analyst Seth Walder projects that the Chiefs won’t start with Mahomes. Instead, he has Marcus Mariota down as the starter.

“Of course, this hinges on the recovery timeline of Patrick Mahomes, who had surgery in December to repair two ligaments in his left knee,” Walder notes in the feature. “Mahomes has indicated he wants to be back for Week 1, and perhaps that will happen. But any prediction about his Week 1 status is just a guess, so I imagine that the Chiefs would want to be cautious with Mahomes, given his importance to the franchise.”

So, Walder notes that if the team wants “a reliable backup” who’s able to “ideally win a few games while Mahomes finishes up his recovery.”

He adds that he thinks “Mariota fits the bill. The 32-year-old stood in for Jayden Daniels for eight starts in Washington last season and was capable, with a 50.2 QBR. He has a long history of being solid, which is essentially what Kansas City needs — a player who can keep the team afloat in Mahomes’ absence but is willing to be a backup and won’t be overly expensive.”

Now, it’s worth noting that Walder has interesting picks sprinkled throughout his report, so he may be stirring things up with the Mahomes prediction. But, the Chiefs could do worse than having Mariota fill in for Mahomes.

Kansas City Chiefs Still Favored in the AFC Going Into 2026-27 Season
Even though the team didn’t make it to the playoffs in the 2025-26 season, the oddsmakers in Las Vegas are still ranking the Kansas City Chiefs as one of the strongest teams in the AFC.

According to a report from Draft Kings, the Chiefs are projected to have 10.5 wins next year. They’re also No. 3 in the AFC, only behind the Ravens at No. 1 and Bills at No. 2.

In a story out on Thursday, February 19, for Arrowhead Addict, Matt Conner discusses this faith in the team. He notes in the piece, “One year after the AFC West was twisted enough for the Chiefs to land in third place overall, the reigning division champs, the Denver Broncos, still haven’t earned the benefit of the doubt that they’ll repeat in 2025.”