The Kansas City Chiefs may not be able to rely on Patrick Mahomes to begin the 2026 season after surgery to repair damage to the ACL and LCL in his left knee this week, which means the franchise could be in the market for a starting quarterback for the first time in almost a decade.
Dr. David J. Chao, a former NFL team physicain, compared Mahomes’ injury to that of Carson Wentz back in 2017.
“I’m not suggesting [the injury] will derail Mahomes’ career like it, in some ways, derailed Carson Wentz’s career, but Wentz even said it was an 18-24 month recovery,” Chao said in an X post on Tuesday, December 16. “Can [Mahomes] play from the pocket? Sure, but it might be 2027 when he’s fully mobile Patrick Mahomes like before. This news is significant for the Chiefs.”
Kansas City does not need a longterm starter. Instead, a short-term starter to bridge to Mahomes across the first few weeks, or perhaps the first couple of months, of the campaign is a far better fit. The QB pool in free agency is exceedingly weak, with failed starters, career backups and veterans pushing 40 (or having already surpassed it) as the top options on the list.
There are not many proven talents with viable starting potential, in their primes and on inexpensive deals who will be available, though the one exception is Mac Jones of the San Francisco 49ers.
Mac Jones Has Rehabilitated NFL Image After Stint With 49ers
GettySan Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones.
The New England Patriots selected Jones in the first round of the 2021 draft (No. 15 overall). However, he never succeeded at a high level beyond his initial campaign, in which Jones earned Pro Bowl honors and finished second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.
New England traded Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars in March 2024 for a sixth-round pick that the Patriots turned into QB Joe Milton III. Jones hit free agency in March of this year and inked a two-year contract worth a total of $8.4 million with the 49ers to serve as the backup to Brock Purdy.
Purdy sustained multiple injuries early on in the campaign, and Jones subsequently appeared in 10 games. He is 5-3 across eight starts and has thrown for 2,151 yards, 13 TDs and six INTs on a completion rate of 69.6 percent.
Chiefs, Mac Jones Could Replicate Next Year What Vikings, Sam Darnold Accomplished Last Season
GettyQuarterback Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks.
Just as Sam Darnold did before him in San Francisco, Jones has set himself up for another shot at a full-time starting job in the NFL.
Darnold, who played and showed less in 2023 than Jones has this season, went on to sign a one-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings. He produced a Pro Bowl campaign and a 14-3 regular-season record as the starter, and the Vikings finished the last year in the playoffs.
The Seattle Seahawks came calling in March and paid Darnold over $100 million to be their starter. The Seahawks are now 11-3 and will claim the outright lead in the NFC with a victory over the Los Angeles Rams on the December 18 edition of “Thursday Night Football.”
Jones could find the same pathway back to the top of the league by landing with the Chiefs next year, and he wouldn’t even need to produce over an entire season as Darnold did in 2024.
If Jones starts a handful of games for Kansas City, keeps them competitive and hands the reins back over to Mahomes upon his return to full health, Jones can buy himself the same shot Darnold did at a big contract and NFL longevity.
The Chiefs have the personnel and organizational structure to fit what Jones will likely seek in his next team, while Jones has proven he can lead a team with good players around him. The hitch is that unlike Darnold on a one-year deal, the 49ers inked Jones to a two-year contract.
As such, Kansas City will have to trade for Jones, and San Francisco is likely to ask for a Day 2 draft pick given how well he has played this season.
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