Three Quarterbacks Chiefs Could Sign Amid Injuries to Patrick Mahomes, Gardner Minshew

Kansas City needs all the help they can get under center.

Bailey Zappe has spent a handful of offseasons in the Chiefs' system. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Chiefs’ catastrophic 2025 season somehow got even worse during Sunday’s loss to the Titans in Tennessee.

Just one week after falling out of playoff contention for the first time since 2014—and losing quarterback Patrick Mahomes for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL and LCL—Kansas City is now set to be without backup signal-caller Gardner Minshew as well.

With the Chiefs leading 3–2 in the second quarter on Sunday, Minshew was taken to the locker room with a left knee injury and did not return. He was ultimately ruled out for the remainder of the contest and now, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the team fears that he, too has also suffered a torn ACL.

Not good.

RELATED: Chiefs Updated QB Depth Chart: Who Is Up Next After Mahomes, Minshew Injuries?

Minshew was replaced by Chris Oladokun on Sunday, who finished the game 11-for-16 passing for 111 yards while posting a passer rating of 88.3. Okadokun, a 2022 seventh-round pick of the Steelers, played college football at South Florida, Samford, and South Dakota State from 2016 to '21 and has since boomeranged on and off of Kansas City's roster over the past four seasons.

While the Chiefs are likely to move forward with Okadokun as their starter to close out what's already a lost 2025 campaign, they’ll still need at least one more body in the building—whether that be on the active roster or practice squad—to serve as a backup and run the scout team in practice.

Here are three realistic options Kansas City could go after to bolster its quarterback room.

Bailey Zappe

Zappe has had multiple stints with the Chiefs. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Current team: Browns’ practice squad

Bailey Zappe spent his first two NFL seasons with the Patriots after being drafted out of Western Kentucky in 2022. He was eventually released by New England during final roster cuts in 2024, and signed to the Chiefs’ practice squad two days later.

The 26-year-old has since had a second stint in Kansas City and is currently a member of the Browns’ practice squad. Zappe is eligible to sign with the Chiefs’ active roster—a move that would make sense given his familiarity with the system.

Shane Buechele

Buechele spent 2021 and '22 with the Chiefs. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Current team: Bills’ practice squad

Like Zappe, current Bills practice squad quarterback Shane Buechele also has an understanding of the Chiefs offense.

Undrafted out of SMU in 2021, Buechele signed with Kansas City that May and spent two seasons with the team—bouncing back-and-forth from their active roster and practice squad. The 27-year-old has yet to attempt a pass in his NFL career.

Ian Book

Book spent the 2024 offseason with the Chiefs. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Current team: Free agent

Former Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book, the lone true free agent on the list, spent one offseason with the Chiefs after signing a futures contract with the club in January of 2024. He was released during final roster cuts that same summer.

If Kansas City doesn’t want to poach from another practice squad and would rather go the free agent route, Book would make the most sense.

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