Kansas City Chiefs tackle Josh Simmons was told to leave a team meeting by Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, and reaction is pouring in across the NFL.
The episode, revealed on Sunday before the Chiefs’ Sunday Night Football game against the Seattle Seahawks, came one day before the Chiefs placed their 2025 first-round pick on injured reserve, leaving a lingering question about whether he plays meaningful snaps in Kansas City again.
Simmons had his feet propped up in the offensive meeting room last Wednesday when Reid asked him to put them down, according to an ESPN report by Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport. Simmons replied that his back and hips were aching and that he needed to sit that way. Reid told him to get treatment from the athletic trainers if he was hurting.
The exchange continued and disrupted the session until Mahomes backed Reid and told Simmons to go get treated, sources told ESPN. An irritated Simmons left the room but stayed in the building. Later that day, he apologized to Reid and team leadership, saying he could have handled things better, according to the leaked reports.
The Chiefs placed Simmons on injured reserve the next day with a bulging, herniated disk in his lower back. He cannot return before Week 11, when Kansas City hosts the Arizona Cardinals on Nov. 22. The Chiefs’ pick in the 2025 first round, Simmons has played in only eight of a possible 22 games and will also miss at least the Chiefs’ next four.
Chiefs’ Media, Fans React to Josh Simmons Meeting Story
“Nothing leaks out of One Arrowhead Drive by accident. The Chiefs are sick of Josh Simmons,” KCTV5 sports anchor Mark Poulose wrote Sunday, citing the ESPN report.
“Now he’s becoming a problem in the locker room on top of his never-ending health issues,” NBC Sports‘ Kyle Dvorchak wrote. “We wouldn’t expect to see him play in a Chiefs uniform again anytime soon.”
The episode happened “for a ridiculous reason,” Sporting News wrote. And it was a “dust-up,” a “kerfuffle” or a “squabble” at the team facility, by the Kansas City Star.
Fans on social media weighed in as well.
“Josh Simmons is NEVER playing another snap for the Chiefs,” AJ Caldwell wrote, adding that those still defending Simmons “look REALLY DUMB.”
The saga is “absolutely wild,” and it is “hard to imagine Josh Simmons ever becoming a productive player in KC at this point,” Starcade Media wrote. Other posts demanded his release or asked whether his relationship with Mahomes can recover.
Reid spoke about Simmons’ extended absence two days after the meeting.
“I hope this isn’t asked me every week. I mean, this is just — put this to rest, and he’ll take care of that. And you guys, I mean, this isn’t that big of a story. Let’s focus on the football team, the guys playing,” Reid said Friday, as quoted by reporter Matt Derrick.
Many on social media read the remarks as an effort to shut off any further conversation on Simmons. But two days later, someone appears to have leaked the meeting story.
Josh Simmons’ Future With the Kansas City Chiefs
Simmons will miss at least four games, beginning with Sunday night’s road game against Seattle. Undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson has been the starter at left tackle in his absence and is expected to stay there, according to ESPN.
The team’s public explanation has centered on health. Rick Burkholder, the Chiefs’ vice president of sports medicine and performance, said Thursday that Simmons missed Wednesday’s practice so he could talk with his family and representation about the next steps of his rehab. No formal discipline has been reported beyond the apology reportedly offered by Simmons for verbally confronting Reid.
His rookie contract includes significant guaranteed money, which would make an immediate release expensive. Still, after repeated absences and a meeting that drew in both the head coach and the franchise quarterback, media voices and fans openly speculate that Simmons may not take meaningful snaps for Kansas City again, or that the team is ready to move on once it becomes practical.
Beyond the injured reserve placement and the apology, no resolution has been reported. Yet.
Chiefs ‘Sick of Josh Simmons’ After Clash With Andy Reid Leaks: Report