Kansas City Chiefs Sign Emergency Quarterback After Losing Both Patrick Mahomes & Gardner Minshew

The Kansas City Chiefs have brought in an emergency quarterback after losing Gardner Minshew to a serious injury. According to reports, Shane Buechele is headed back to KC.

The Chiefs were already short a QB after Patrick Mahomes’ season was cut short by a knee injury. Minshew is believed to have sustained a similar injury in Week 16.

The pair of injuries has resulted in the Chiefs signing Buechele from the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He’s also a familiar face, having been with the team before.

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

Buechele joined KC after going undrafted in 2021 and was on the roster when they beat the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023. However, he has yet to make an appearance in a competitive NFL game at 27.

An unfortunate neck injury forced him to miss the entire 2024 season after he joined the Bills‘ practice squad the year before.

Scroll to continue reading

He did not make Buffalo’s 53-man roster prior to the start of the season, but was signed to their practice squad the following day.

Shane Buechel Has A Chance To Play His First NFL Game This Week

Shane Buechele (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)

Get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google!

Sunday’s injury left the Chiefs with just one healthy quarterback: Chris Oladokun. They suffered a ninth defeat of the campaign, losing 26-9 to the Tennessee Titans.

It has since been reported that Minshew did not sustain a torn ACL but will still miss significant time. The backup journeyman started in place of the injured Mahomes against Tennessee on Sunday. He was ruled out of the game by the second quarter in what was his first start of the season.

Oladokun stepped in and did well in terms of completions. He went 11 for 16 for 111 passing yards, but did not register any touchdowns.

It will be interesting to see who starts for the 2024 Super Bowl finalists against the Denver Broncos on Christmas Day.

Meanwhile, the team has announced its intention to leave the state of Missouri. They are expected to take up residence in Kansas.