Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Quotes
September 10, 2026
OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright, as far as the injuries go, really, the only two are (DB Chamarri) Conner and (T Josh) Simmons and that's not new. So, look forward to the challenge of playing Denver. We know they're a good football team, and like I mentioned before, they're well coached and they've got good players. So, there should be a heck of an atmosphere at Arrowhead and other than that, time's yours.”
Q: How confident are you that you can call the same offensive game with QB Patrick Mahomes on Monday, that you could’ve if he hadn’t gotten hurt?
REID: “Yeah, I'm good with all of it. (QB Patrick Mahomes) He's shown he could do that. So, we won't hold anything back that we wouldn't normally run.”
Q: Do you feel like QB Patrick Mahomes has gotten sufficient reps even though he did not play in the preseason?
REID: “Yeah, I think so. I think (QB Patrick Mahomes) he's geared up and ready to go. He's taking every rep from with the one offense and done a nice job with it. Now, it's just a matter of getting out there and playing.”
Q: Do you feel a certain excitement, eagerness during game week and first game of the season?
REID: “I was until I walked in this room (laughter). Listen, I mean, there's nothing like getting it going. So, it's always exciting. And then to have an opportunity to play against a good team, I think is great, especially at home, that's another thing there. I think everybody that's on that field will be fired up and ready to go on both sides of the ball.”
Q: Have you identified a way to change the trend of a slow starting offense if starters did not sufficiently play in the preseason?
REID: “Nobody's trying to do the slow start. No four-corner stall, everybody's trying to score points and do the best they can with it, but that's how these things work. We'll just see what we can do and kind of focus in on that and I think we have a good game plan. We'll see how it all rolls.”
Q: How does trying to rebound from a losing record last season bring some fire for you and for everybody?
REID: “So, we've put all that in the past and moved on and just trying to do our best as we go forward here and that's kind of been our emphasis throughout camp. And we learned from those mistakes, took care of those during the OTAs and here we go.”
Q: You’ve had to keep QB Patrick Mahomes kind of reeled back throughout the offseason. How do you feel, as you approach week one, to finally let him let him loose?
REID: “Yeah, I know (QB Patrick Mahomes) he's excited to get going. It's been hard for him to sit there and watch. That's not his style. So, I'm sure he'll be fired up and excited to get out there and finally be able to play, he’s put a ton of hard work into it. So, to be able to actually meet the challenge of being out there. So, I think he'll be fired up.”
Q: On the unpredictability of Broncos Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph’s defense facing the offensive line with QB Patrick Mahomes coming off of injury.
REID: “Yeah, the first few games are always a challenge. (Broncos Defensive Coordinator) Vance (Joseph) is a sharp guy, and he's got a nice package full of blitzes that he has, and I'm sure he'll unload a few of them. So, you go out and you prepare what you can and get yourself right. You want to be able to play fast and not stagger yourself down to where you can't function with a ghost, but he's got plenty of things he can throw at you for sure.”
Q: How do you feel about your wide receiver room, health wise and just the mix of guys?
REID: “Yeah, I like what we've got. Look forward to seeing them getting out there and playing, playing fast.”
Q: What are the factors that go into it when you decide to start a young guy like T Kahlil Benson? It doesn’t happen often starting a UDFA. Why will you play him over guys with more experience?
REID: “Yeah, so, (T Kahlil Benson) he's done a nice job for us. He's obviously shown us that he has ability to play, and we wouldn't put him in there if we didn't think that. We've all been through that. I think when we first got hired, we thought we probably were pretty good at it. And so, I want his confidence to be that and go out and play and just use his abilities and write a good story.”
Q: When QB Patrick Mahomes had his injury last year, I know he said it was his goal to play Week 1 but did you internally believe that you would get to this point that he'd be able to start on Monday night?
REID: “Well, (QB Patrick Mahomes) he was calculating it pretty early. So, when he was doing his MRI, he goes, ‘I'm coming back.’ So, there was no hesitation. I was there when he was getting his MRI. So, I had a chance to see it and hear it. I don't doubt anything he puts his mind to.”
Q: How do you feel the chemistry is with Mahomes and the receivers right now?
REID: “Yeah, (QB Patrick Mahomes) he's had a lot of snaps with him, even with (WR) Rashee (Rice) missing a little bit there but I think we're okay there. Now we’ve got to do it at game speed and see how all that works out, but he's had some good reps with him. We chart all that and try to keep track of it and he had more throws this year than he's had in the past with all these guys. So, it's good.”
Q: In camp QB Patrick Mahomes had more throws?
REID: “Yeah.”
Q: Now that WR Rashee Rice has passed some of that stuff and he's fully healthy, what are reasonable expectations for him?
REID: “Go play. Yeah, put him out there. Go play.”
Q: Talking about the receivers, WR Xavier Worthy, early rookie season, obviously a lot to learn. Second year kind of injury right off the bat. What can we expect from him and will we see that speed unleash?
REID: “Yeah, so, again, these guys, they need to just go play and work within the system and let that work with him, but he's been playing fast out there and he is fast. And so, just go do your thing, do what you've been doing in practice and if you get an opportunity, then take advantage of it.”
Chiefs Player Quotes
September 10, 2026
QB PATRICK MAHOMES
Q: You’ve got the news that you get to play Week 1. What’s the excitement to go out there and play?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, this has always been the goal, is to get out there and play Week 1. And so, it was a long offseason, a lot of work, a lot of great people around me, trainers, (Wife) Brittany (Mahomes), my family supporting me, but now we get to go out there and play the sport that I love. So, super excited. I get to play at Arrowhead against a great opponent. Then go out there and be myself.”
Q: You've passed every physical check to get to this point. Is there a mental check that you anticipated?
MAHOMES: “Not necessarily. I think it's going to be hard for me not to just be myself when I step on the field. I mean, even if you saw me in training camp, the moment stuff started happening and I just became a competitor. And so, I don't think it'll be anything crazy. Just go out there, play football. Usually, you get hit once or twice, and you're kind of like, alright, I’ve got to go out there and play and so I'm excited just to be out there on the field again with my teammates and try to find a way to get a win.”
Q: Do you feel like there is some sort of challenge in sort of respecting the situation with the knee and then ignoring it? How do you work through that?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I mean, a little bit. I think you’ve got to go out there and be yourself. I've built up the strength. I've built up all the days of rehab so that I can be myself. I'm going to keep myself out of harm's way like I always will. I don’t try to take big hits and stuff like that but I'm a competitor. I signed up for this, and I'm going to go out there and play football. And I think that's how I've always rolled, no matter what it is, and that's how I'll probably roll the rest of my career.”
Q: There was a run where RB Kenneth Walker bounced it back outside to the outfield, and you started looking for a guy to block. Is there any way you can turn that off?
MAHOMES: “No, I think that's what makes me who I am, is that I just love competing. Playing quarterback is one thing, but you’ve got to love competing to have success in this league, and you see that with the guys around this league nowadays and so I'll try not to lay any blocks, hopefully, unless it's needed. But other than that, I'm going to go out there and be myself and play football and we've built up all this strength over the offseason for that, and so why not go out and maximize it?”
Q: Will you wear the brace you've been wearing?
MAHOMES: “I'll wear it. I mean, it was kind of designed for my type of injury. I was kind of one of the first people to get it, and I'm very comfortable with it, and that's why I've practiced throughout OTAs and training camp and then now, being in the season, is to kind of prepare myself to be comfortable with it, and I don't even think about it when I have it on other than when it gets loose. Usually it's better when I wear pants, so I'm excited for that. Maybe I'll have to slide a little differently, but other than that, I'll be able to go out there and play.”
Q: Everyone talked about how hard you worked, but were there some days that you thought you might not be standing here for Week 1?
MAHOMES: “Never those days. I think there (were) days where my leg didn't feel as good as other days. Early in the process, you work out all day, and then you have to do it again the next day. You might be a little sore and stuff like that, but I knew that it kind of motivated me to, like—I’ve got to get through these days in order to be able to play Week 1, and it's so far away, but you just take it day by day process, and I've said that a million times over these last few years, and it was a true example then, is learning how to run, learning how to cut, all that stuff adds up over time, and then you get to training camp, and they let you go be yourself and it was a long process, but we're here now, and now I get to go out there and be myself.”
Q: How big is it for you to have this first game back after the injury in Arrowhead with all the fans?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think it's going to be big just because the support that I've had this entire process, I'll have that at a maximum here at Arrowhead, and so we're playing a great football team. We're getting to play at Arrowhead on Monday Night Football. The place will be rocking. I think that'll give me even more of a bump, more of an energy boost to go out there and be the best version of myself.”
Q: Head Coach Andy Reid said you had as many reps with WR Rashee Rice and the receivers as you've ever had with them. How do you feel the timing is going to be when you get out there in the game?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, we've had a ton of reps, and I think you just have to build that up. You keep building that throughout the season and everything like that, but at the same time, I've built these guys for a couple years now. It's not, we have new guys in and out. I mean, we’ve got (WR) Cyrus (Allen) now, but other than that, a lot of these guys I've been with for at least a year and gotten a lot of work with throughout that. And so those training camp reps, those reps from last year are going to help for this year and so I'm excited. Those guys look really good. We know it's going to be a heck of a challenge. I mean, one of the best defenses in the league that we're going up against. So, what better challenge to see where we're at? And so, we're excited to go out there and showcase who we are this year, and it's going to have to take a great effort to go out there and get a win.”
Q: You're probably going to have (T) Kahlil (Benson) playing left tackle. What effect does that have on anything you guys get ready to do in the game playing a guy who's making his first start ever?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, either way, you’ve got to roll. I mean, that's the beauty of football, is it's next man up, and you have to go up there and compete and these guys have gotten a ton of reps in training camp. They've gotten a ton of reps throughout their entire life, and they're going out and living their dream as well and so I've got trust in anyone that the coaches put out there, because I know that they've worked their tail off to be at that spot. And so there'll be mistakes here and there, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to go out there and trust those guys and make the plays whenever the plays need to be made.”
Q: Do you feel a noticeable difference between how you felt at the start of camp and how you feel now?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, just confidence-wise more than anything. I mean, you can do whatever you want in the offseason until you go out there and get reps, you don't know, and so I think really for me, it was like a funny clip, I always talk about the fourth down I ran. I did it, and I was like, man, I shouldn't have done that. But then looking back on it now, that was kind of the moment for me. I was like, oh, I'm good. Like, I can go out there and play if I need to play. And so that and then having people around me. I had someone hit me in the back at one of the practices, and every coach was freaking out, but I was like, ‘I'm glad.’ I guess someone hit me and I didn't just crumble (laughter) and so stuff like that. Stuff like that's good for me and so now it's about going out there and playing the game and I'm excited for it.”
Q: Was Head Coach Andy Reid’s training camp harder this year than normal?
MAHOMES: “Oh yeah, it was hard for sure. A lot of padded days. I was looking through the rules to see if we could still have these padded days (laughter). (Head Coach Andy Reid) He did the perfect amount that we could have. So, he got everything he could out of these guys but I think it's good for us. We build that trust. A lot of new guys want to build that culture back that we had in previous years and then at the same time, it gives guys reps to kind of establish themselves and so a lot of competition. The guys were competing. Thought we had a great training camp, but now let's make it translate into the year and show off that competitiveness going up against a good football team.”
Q: What do you learn the pluses and minuses of some of the plays designed with moving pockets in mind, whether it's boots or roll-outs or sprints? What do you like and don't like maybe about those?
MAHOMES: “I think everything has to marry in a game. I think that's the biggest thing is you have to be able to run the ball. You have to be able to do movements off it. You have to play action off it. You have to have a good passing game and then off the passing game, you have to have certain draws and handoffs and stuff like that that marry that as well. And so, I think that's something that we have to do as an entire team is make everything look alike so defenses can't guess what we're doing and that's where we get the advantage. And so just as far as movements, I have to be able to carry out my fakes to make those movements work on run plays and things like that. And so, that's stuff that we've detailed this entire offseason is making sure that everybody's accountable and you can't take plays off because every play, no matter if you're blocking on the backside or if you're running the primary route, it's going to set up the rest of the game plan.”
Q: On expectations for RB Kenneth Walker in Week 1.
MAHOMES: “Yeah, no, you’ve got to use that guy. I mean, (RB Kenneth Walker) he's a talented football player. He runs tough. He has speed. He can break a touchdown at any moment. He can catch the ball.
He does kind of it all. And so, when you have those guys on your team, you find ways to get them the football. If that's either just handing the ball off to them or throwing it to them, you’ve got to and so we got him for a reason. He came in with the right mindset and mentality, and he's really attacked this offseason. And so, I think he's as excited as anybody to get out there in Arrowhead and have Chiefs Kingdom behind him and so him as well as (RB) Emmett (Johnson) and (RB) Brashard (Smith), I mean, we’ve got a good running back room and we'll utilize those guys within this offense.”
Q: Given the setback you went through, what did you learn about yourself? Is there any advice you have for others?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think more than anything is you learn how resilient you can be and how resilient people can be. And so, I mean, obviously the injuries, it sucked, but you have to get past that. You have to move on just like anything else in life. And you have to push forward and learn from it and get better from it and luckily for me, I have a great support group around me that pushed me for that and so I think more than anything, I just learned that I can be resilient. I can go through the process of a day-by-day process whenever things aren't great and then get back to hopefully where I was before it and I'm excited for that opportunity Monday.”
Q: How ready are you as a team to show the world what RB Kenneth Walker is going to mean for your response as to what happened last year?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think we're just ready to go out there and win football games. I don't think we really care how it happens or if we're lighting up offensively or if defense is locking down. Whatever that is, we want to win football games again and that's what's made us who we are. So, it's about the team, and I think that's something that we've kind of preached this entire offseason is all coming together as a team to go out there and win a lot of football games.”
Q: Patrick, you've been sort of consumed with the knee rehab. Did you require any fuel from 6-11? Did you take in with you any sort of stock from what happened last season as part of your return?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I mean, you don't like losing. We work too hard to lose football games. And so, I think this is a competitive league, and it comes down to little things here and there, mistakes that get made throughout a game and not executing on big plays. We made those mistakes last year and we hadn't in previous years and so we have to learn from that, push forward and try to not make those mistakes again and kind of learn how to win again.”
Q: Did you burn a little from just the record last season? How have you sort of processed that or put it in your rear-view mirror?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I mean, I think a little bit more kind of throughout the process of kind of getting back here. But now you’ve got to flip the page and know that we all start brand new and you have to go out there and prove yourself again and so I'm excited for that chance.”
Q: When you have to adjust during the game and especially coming off an injury, is there a certain experience that you learned that helps you maybe know that you're confident about the movement in the pocket depending on who's playing on the backside?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think you have to learn the guy, which you get the reps with the guy and then you learn kind of how he blocks and how he does things like that. And then just as important it's my job to get the ball out of my hands. You can't hold the ball and take sacks. You have to get the ball out of your hands. If it's not there, burn it and go to the next play. But it's the quarterback job, just as much as anybody else's when it comes to sacks. And those guys on defense are paid to get sacks and we're paid to get the ball out of our hands and give to the playmakers that make plays. So that's something that I've kind of learned throughout my career and knowing the flow of the game and how I’ve got to go about that.”
WR RASHEE RICE
Q: How would you assess your physical readiness in terms of being as close to 100 percent as possible?
RICE: “I’ve pushed myself everyday to get to 100 percent, even spending extra time in the training room. I’m pretty sure I’m 100 percent, but I’m just ready to get to the game.”
Q: With the injuries and the losses from last season, how eager are you guys to get out there and show what you’re capable of?
RICE: “We’re real eager. We’re just trying to stay calm and not play the game before we actually play the game. We’re the last game of Week 1, so just taking our time, watching football and trying not to get anxious.”
Q: How is your chemistry with QB Patrick Mahomes?
RICE: “I think the chemistry is great. Me and (QB Patrick) Pat (Mahomes), before I was even running, I was still going out there while he was throwing on the turf and just getting catches in. My rookie year, when I really got going into the offense, we kind of had a natural connection. So, it’s kind of the love of the game of football that we both have, we just want to make everything work for us.”
S ALOHI GILMAN
Q: You’ve mentioned that at first it was challenging to understand everything Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo wanted you to do in the defense. Now that you’ve had more reps, where are you at in that process?
GILMAN: “Yeah, I’m in a good spot. I feel really good, really comfortable. They do a great job here just preparing us. Training camp was necessary for me to get those reps, to make mistakes and to build and stack days. And my plan is to continue to do that because it’s never going to be perfect, but I feel comfortable with where I’m at. So, I’m just excited for the season.”
Q: Why do you think Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and Defensive Backs Coach Dave Merritt have been so successful with all of the DBs, CBs, safeties being good tacklers?
GILMAN: “Just being really detailed about it. Intentional about what we do in practice, whether it’s walkthroughs, whether it’s practice, just being intentional about it and being physical out there. Just going out there and playing fast, and I think that helps getting everyone to the football and I think all of that together helps out with a good defense.”
Q: In the past it’s taken awhile before the secondary kind of gels; how do you feel this group has performed so far? Do you feel like you’re 100 percent together and know what you’re doing?