What Updated Gardner Minshew News Means for the Chiefs

After Patrick Mahomes went down with a season-ending ACL injury on the same day the Kansas City Chiefs were eliminated from the playoffs, Gardner Minshew was expected to close the season out in the final three games. But the bad luck kept coming for the Chiefs.

Minshew was removed from the Week 16 game against the Tennessee Titans, which was believed to be an ACL-related injury, similar to Mahomes'. Turns out, as reported by Ian Rapoport, Minshew did suffer an injury, but it's not as severe as Mahomes'.

#Chiefs QB Gardner Minshew received some good news, as his ACL was spared, sources say following the MRI. His knee is still injured and should miss game time.

But not what it initially appeared. pic.twitter.com/DvotAdQOCQ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 22, 2025

Rapoport would reveal that Minshew's injury is "a non-displaced tibial plateau fracture, one that ends his season and puts Gardner Minshew on IR, source says. Basically, a very bad bone bruise."

Additionally, Minshew's injury would place him on the injured reserve, thus ending his season with the Chiefs. As reported by Matt Derrick, there is a small hope for Chiefs Kingdom in the quarterback room should all go well for Minshew.

"Chiefs fans may remember that Dan Sorensen had the same injury in training camp in 2018 and missed the first nine games of the season. The good news for Minshew — and the Chiefs if they re-sign him — is he should be completely ready for OTAs and offseason workouts," Derrick wrote.

Nov 16, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Gardner Minshew (17) before the game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

What This Means for Kansas City

The Chiefs are now without two of their quarterback on the roster, leaving Chris Oladokun to play out the remaining two games of the season. Christmas on Netflix is still a big game for the look of the franchise for the Chiefs, and Oladokun will look to lead the way.

As announced by Adam Schefter, the Chiefs signed QB Shane Buechele off the Buffalo Bills practice squad, pending a physical.

With Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew injuring their knees in back-to-back weeks, the Chiefs are signing QB Shane Buechele off the Bills’ practice squad, per source. Buechele spent the 2021-‘22 seasons with the Chiefs. He needs to pass a physical, but he is headed to Kansas… pic.twitter.com/oJFX8R4KBT
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 22, 2025

With Minshew out, the veteran presence at the quarterback position takes a brutal hit. While teammates will encourage Oladokun, this offense doesn't strike fear in opponents. Crazier things have happened, but Chiefs Kingdom might want to look elsewhere for the final two games.

The Chiefs have said they will remain competitive as the season winds down, but with Minshew now out, it's looking like the Chiefs are bound to play "don't lose" kind of football. Meaning if they do win, great, but it's likely their veterans will be taking a seat as the rookies earn their stripes.

Kansas City's offensive depth proved to be flawed, as without Mahomes leading the charge, the offense looked lost. For the remaining two games against AFC West division opponents, the Chiefs need to come away with one victory, and it looks very clear as to who that would be against.

Rebounding and having a competitive game against the Denver Broncos on Christmas would be nice, but several injuries on both sides of the football for the Chiefs make that goal seem very steep. This could force the Chiefs to consider adding a backup quarterback through the 2026 NFL Draft as well.

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