The Special Message Josh Simmons Had for Chiefs Kingdom

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City tackle Josh Simmons spoke from the podium before practice on Wednesday. The Chiefs (5-5) are hosting Indianapolis (8-2) on Sunday (12 p.m. CT, CBS/KCTV, Channel 5, 96.5 The Fan).

To view his full press conference, watch and read below:

Opening statement:

“First off, I want to thank the entire Kansas City and this club for having my six the time I was away from team. Showed how much love this team and city have for me, and I can't wait to give it back to them.”

On whether there’s anything he’d like to share about his absence:

“Kind of want to keep that in house, all due respect … That's kind of something I'm gonna keep inside.”

On how he’d grade his first game back:

“There's always room. But I think as a front we swung as hard as we could. There's obviously some things that you can't control. Also a really good football team, so I think it's just kind of picking up on the film and kind of cleaning some stuff up.”

josh simmon — Nov 16, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey (52) and offensive tackle Josh Simmons (71) celebrate a touchdown carry by running back Kareem Hunt (29) (center) in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

On whether he felt rusty:

“A little bit. I mean, 15 (Nik Bonitto) is an extremely gifted player, so going against that was a was a fair ‘welcome back.’ But I think with the teammates that I had throughout that week, they helped me up and kind of helped brush that stuff off.”

On what he was able to do to stay in shape while gone:

“Yeah, I had access to gyms and stuff like that. So, I was making sure I was working out and hitting like some field work, and just keeping my feet alive and stuff like that, making sure my nervous system was woken up.”

On whether he felt physically ready to play on Sunday:

“I did. I was ready to play. Absolutely.”

On his communication with the team while gone:

“Yeah. I mean, I had access to my playbook and stuff like that. So, I was able to kind of keep up and stay proactive with maybe studying plays or something like that, making sure I going over notes and stuff like that. And communication with the team was very transparent, especially at the end.”

andy rei — Oct 12, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

On how his teammates encouraged him:

“So, I have got some teammates that are always checking in on me. Obviously, they had games and stuff like that. But when you have teammates like that, definitely, I was itching to get back and then fight, fight for them. But I think from here, I think I just kind of … being away from the game, I mean, I missed a little chunk of my college season, so being away from the game, I was itching to get back on the field.”

On how he felt that the team was so accepting of his situation:

“My part was to make sure that I was in shape for the time when I came back.”

On Ohana and his family support:

“My family as in my personal family or football team? (Traditional family). It was amazing. Obviously, family is the biggest thing Polynesians lean on, so when you get in that, it just makes everything a lot better.”

latu — Indianapolis Colts defensive end Laiatu Latu (97) celebrates a win following a game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Colts defeated the Dolphins 33-8. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On what stands out about the Colts defensive front:

“When you look at them on film, they're very disciplined. I'm looking at their ends right now. Just got a little, like a flash to them, and they play very hard. One of the D-linemen down there, I‘m former teammates with one of the D-linemen down there (JT Tuimoloau). And then, yeah, they just play. They're very, very strong, very physical. They're gonna get after it. They're not really necessarily gonna, I don't know, Myles Garrett, but they are extremely gifted, and that's something that I'm gonna be studying my tail off to be going against it.”

On his individual goals with seven games remaining:

“Just win. Just keep winning.”

On what football meant to him while he was gone, whether it was a distraction:

“Definitely not a distraction. Wherever I was, I was making sure I was watching the game, tuning in, or keeping up with who we were going against the next the next week, or something like that. So, it wasn't a distraction at all. I knew exactly, I was gonna come back and be ready.”

On whether he anticipates remaining with the team the rest of the season:

“Absolutely. I will be here for the rest of season. Kansas City Chiefs.”

On his time away at both Ohio State and this season with the Chiefs, whether he gained an advantage football-wise with the television perspective:

“Um, not really. I mean, you can definitely tell it's a different kind of lens that you look at it from maybe the couch or somewhere, versus obviously on the field, but not too much of a difference. You just know kind of deeper what's going on.”

Don’t miss a minute of the Internet’s best info from Chiefs Kingdom. Register for our FREE newsletter on your beloved team, arriving in your inbox with the latest in-depth news every morning. SIGN UP HERE NOW.