{"id":259161,"date":"2025-12-16T12:00:50","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T17:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=259161"},"modified":"2025-12-16T09:39:36","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T14:39:36","slug":"4-quarterbacks-that-could-replace-patrick-mahomes-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/12\/16\/4-quarterbacks-that-could-replace-patrick-mahomes-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Quarterbacks That Could Replace Patrick Mahomes in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL<\/a> shortly before his team was officially eliminated<\/a> from playoff contention. For a team that’s used to making the Super Bowl, this is easily the worst day since the franchise turned the keys over to the eventual Hall of Famer. ACL injuries generally have a 9-10 month recovery period, which means that Mahomes probably won’t be ready for the start of the 2026 regular season.<\/p>\n

4 Quarterbacks That Could Replace Patrick Mahomes In 2026<\/h2>\n

Let’s get this out of the way: barring something completely unforeseen, Patrick Mahomes will play for the Chiefs in 2026. However, he probably won’t be ready for Week 1, and he might be a little rusty coming out of the gate. With this in mind, Kansas City should be in the market for a high-level backup who can start a few games and keep the ship afloat. Several free agents matching that description should be available in the offseason.<\/p>\n

Main Photo: Jay Biggerstaff – Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

4. Jimmy Garoppolo<\/h3>\n

Jimmy Garoppolo is not a great quarterback, and injuries have plagued him throughout his career. However, beggars can’t be choosers, and he could be a perfectly adequate short-term option. While he can’t make plays out of structure, his time in San Francisco proved he can be a serviceable pitching machine and keep an offense operating in rhythm.<\/p>\n

Garoppolo is at his best working in the short part of the field, which makes him a schematic match for the new-look Kansas City offense. Rashee rice is fantastic after the catch, and a quarterback like Garpoppolo could be a decent fit until Patrick Mahomes returns to the field.<\/p>\n

\"Rams
Jun 3, 2025; Woodland Hills, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterbacks Matthew Stafford (left), Jimmy Garoppolo (center) and Stetson Bennett throw the ball during organized team activities at Rams Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

3. Carson Wentz<\/h3>\n

Carson Wentz spent the 2024 season with the Kansas City Chiefs, so it only makes sense that the team brings him back for the start of the 2026 season. The former second-overall pick admittedly didn’t impress during his time with the Chiefs last year, but he only played in one game. Additionally, that contest meant nothing to Kansas City’s postseason seeding, so it stands to reason he could do better when players and coaches have a reason to care.<\/p>\n

Wentz spent the 2025 season with the Minnesota Vikings and, while he didn’t set the world on fire, he went 2-3 while completing 65.1% of his passes for 1,216 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions despite playing through a shoulder injury<\/a>. He’ll never recapture his 2017 form, but he could start for a game or two while Patrick Mahomes works his way back to the field.<\/p>\n

\"Carson
Oct 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) drops back to pass against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

2. Joe Flacco<\/h3>\n

The ageless wonder keeps bouncing around the league and played well for large stretches of time this year. While his stint with the Browns was relatively unremarkable, he looked like a legitimate starter during his time in Cincinnati. Flacco can’t carry an offense on his own, but he can get the most out of talented playmakers.<\/p>\n

There is no Ja’Marr Chase on the Chiefs<\/a>, but Rashee Rice is one of the league’s better wide receivers, and the supporting cast isn’t too bad. Flacco wants to be a starter, but if he can’t get a full-time job, perhaps he’d settle for keeping the ship afloat while Patrick Mahomes recovers.<\/p>\n

\"joe
Main Photo: Sam Greene\/The Enquirer-USA TODAY NETWORK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

1. Gardner Minshew<\/h3>\n

The most likely candidate to fill in for Patrick Mahomes is the one who’s already here. The Chiefs signed Gardner Minshew for this exact situation, and now we’ll see if he’s up to the challenge. While he threw the game-losing interception last week, his overall body of work proves he has what it takes to be a fringe starter in this league. In 2023, he made the Pro Bowl while going 7-6 with the Indianapolis Colts and almost guiding the team to the playoffs.<\/p>\n

The Chiefs will use the remainder of the 2025 season to see what Minshew can do in this offense. If he plays well, they’ll re-sign him in the offseason and plan on having him start Week 1. If he comes up short, Kansas City will let him walk and sign a different free agent.<\/p>\n

\"Gardner
Main Photo: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL shortly before his team was officially eliminated from playoff contention. For a team that’s used to making the Super Bowl, this is easily the worst day since the franchise turned the keys over to the eventual Hall of Famer. ACL injuries generally have a 9-10 month […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2376,"featured_media":259184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6431,16],"tags":[7811,4810,1576],"class_list":["post-259161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-teams","category-chiefs","tag-chiefs-featured","tag-gardner-minshew","tag-patrick-mahomes"],"modified_by":"David Latham, Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2376"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259161"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":259185,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259161\/revisions\/259185"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}