The Kansas City Chiefs are officially in the offseason after their final game of the season on Sunday, January 4, against the Las Vegas Raiders, and it’s a strange feeling for a franchise that’s been to the postseason 10 consecutive seasons before the 2025-26 run. This also marks the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era that the Chiefs haven’t been to the postseason.
Now, it’s time for Kanas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and company to look ahead to the 2026-27 season and regroup. They’ll have to get Mahomes healthy again, after his season-ending ACL and LCL injury and subsequent surgery. They’ll also have to get the right mix of players and coaches behind Kansas City to get this team to the big game again.
“All in all, we came up short,” Reid said after the team’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on December 14, ending their shot at the playoffs. “We had a few mistakes, and that ends up costing you against a good football team.”
He added, “They battled. Wasn’t for a lack of effort or battling, just had some mistakes that cost us. We’ve got to do better. Get opportunities in the red zone or field position, you’ve got to take advantage of that. With special teams, we got to create field position, and then defensively, we’ve got to maintain it. And so in those cases, we weren’t quite good enough, and in all three phases. Again that’s my responsibility to make sure that you don’t have these kinds of mistakes, and so I’ll look in the mirror first on this.”
But, going forward, the Kansas City Chiefs will have to go at their next season without one of the key members of their coaching staff, who just took a gig in the college world.
Kanas City Chiefs Lose Coach as Season Ends
New Michigan Wolverines football head coach Kyle Whittingham has hired Alex Whittingham to serve as linebackers coach on his coaching staff.
Whittingham has been with the Kansas City Chiefs since 2018. He started his journey there as a defensive quality control coach in 2019 and was promoted to a defensive assistant in 2024. Finally, he was promoted to assistant defensive line coach before the 2025 season.
So, Alex also score three championships during his time with the Chiefs. If you’re wondering, yes, Alex is the son of Kyle, so now, the Michigan Wolverines football staff is a family affair.
Kansas City Chiefs Coach is Moving On
According to an official press release, “Whittingham worked closely with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo since his hiring in 2019. He has assisted some of the league’s top defensive players, including defensive linemen Frank Clark and Chris Jones; linebackers Nick Bolton, Dee Ford, Willie Gay, Justin Houston and Drue Tranquill; defensive back Trent McDuffie.”
The release adds, “The Chiefs were top-10 in points against in six of Whittingham’s eight seasons on staff, including a top-six mark in each of the last three years. In each of his last four seasons (2022-25), the team was also top-12 in yards allowed per game.”
The Kansas City Chiefs will be on a hunt for a replacement during the offseason.
Kansas City Chiefs Lose Coach to College Program