Andy Reid says Chiefs ‘move on’ as mystery surrounding missing draft pick Josh Simmons lingers
The bizarre Josh Simmons situation remains a mysterious subject around the Chiefs.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid had little to provide Monday after Simmons missed his second straight game this past week in a situation that is seemingly becoming more and more odd.
“As far as Josh goes, I don’t have any updates for ya,” Reid told reporters. “(General manager Brett) Veach is handling everything there. And so, we just, ya know, just move on with that.”
The Chiefs have not been forthcoming with details about why their first-round pick has been sidelined, while reports have surfaced labeling it as “extremely unusual.”
Simmons first missed the Chiefs’ 30-17 “Sunday Night Football” win over the Lions on Oct. 5 after leaving the team to head home to California to deal with what Kansas City referred to as a family matter.
Reid then shut down questions about the topic last Wednesday.
“As far as Josh Simmons’ situation goes, I’m not going to comment on it today,” Reid said on Oct. 15. “Veach is handling everything there. And we’ll leave it at that.”
Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, though, indicated it’s a serious issue.
“I’ll keep conversations kind of between us,” Mahomes said. “But I’m always praying for him. I’m praying for all my teammates, so I’m always praying for him. I’ll just keep everything else kind of private to us.”
An ESPN Chiefs reporter noted during an interview with the “Only Weird Games” podcast that Simmons left the team at an “extremely unusual” time and no one with the team has any idea when he’ll return.
Simmons then again missed this past Sunday’s 31-0 win over the Raiders.
The Chiefs drafted Simmons with the No. 32 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and he started each of the first five games while playing 95 percent of the offensive snapped.
Kansas City not missed a beat without Simmons, with Jaylon Moore protecting Mahomes’ blindside the last two weeks while the offense has averaged 30.5 points to improve to 4-3.
The Chiefs have an extra day of preparation this week for their Week 8 “Monday Night Football” contest at home against a Commanders team that could be without quarterback Jayden Daniels who is dealing with a hamstring injury.