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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The Kansas City Chiefs have yet to miss an AFC title game with quarterback Patrick Mahomes under center, but the team is currently staring down a considerably worse fate after a 6-6 start to the campaign.
Kansas City is the No. 10 seed in the conference heading into Week 14 with a 33 percent chance of earning a spot in the playoffs, according to NFL.com. But even if the Chiefs win out — or at worst go 4-1 down the stretch — and sneak into the tournament, the front office and coaching staff will grapple with serious personnel issues heading into 2026.
The offensive line poses a couple of major questions, as does the running back position behind it. The defensive line is legitimately weak, while the secondary has taken a major step back from recent Super Bowl runs.
Kansas City has some big-play threats in the pass game with Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy, but the Chiefs could still be in the market for an elite-level wide receiver. Perhaps more than anything, Mahomes could use such a player to help him resurrect a more consistent explosiveness to the offense, such as the one that existed when Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill roamed opposing secondaries during their respective primes.
Evan Massey of Newsweek on Monday, December 1 suggested a blockbuster deal with the Minnesota Vikings for $140 million wideout Justin Jefferson, who has shown frustration with the direction of the team’s offense under first-year starting quarterback JJ McCarthy, and others, this season.
Justin Jefferson Might Want Out of Minnesota at Some Point Next Season, Early 2027
GettyMinnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Massey’s case is dependent on Jefferson asking for a trade, which isn’t necessarily likely but is certainly possible.
“Jefferson has been seen clearly frustrated on the sidelines during multiple games this season. That frustration has led to some concern in Minnesota,” Massey wrote. “Could it be possible that Jefferson decides he needs to leave the Vikings to contend for a Super Bowl? Might he decide to request a trade in the future?”
“Should that happen, many teams across the NFL would line up with interest,” Massey continued. “However, there might not be a better potential destination than joining up with Patrick Mahomes on the Kansas City Chiefs.”
Jefferson, 26, has three years remaining on his contract, which is among the most expensive at the position in the league. There is almost zero chance that Minnesota would actually want to move its best player, but depending on how the quarterback position shakes out next spring, it’s something Jefferson could hypothetically desire and a move the Vikings might have to consider.
Vikings Have Minimal Options to Improve QB Position in Immediate Future
GettyHead coach Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota is currently set up to enter the 2026 campaign $36 million in the red. That means meaningful cuts to the roster are coming, and that’s with McCarthy under center on an annual average salary of just $5.4 million.
The Vikings won’t be in a position to spend $30-$35 million annually on a QB like Daniel Jones, which leaves the draft or a reclamation project as the only viable ways to put a legitimate starter behind McCarthy at QB2 and let them battle it out.
Minnesota probably isn’t going to use a top draft pick on a QB, which means the options are signing a player like Kenny Pickett in free agency, or trading a third-rounder or the like to the San Francisco 49ers for Mac Jones. Neither of those players necessarily profiles as a Super Bowl QB, even despite Jones’ resurgence this season.
Jefferson is headed for Canton when his playing days are done. That said, he is on track for career lows across the board in 2025 — save for maybe the 2023 season when he dealt with a hamstring issue and played in just 10 games.
Minnesota bet big on McCarthy and lost. There is no one behind him other than Max Brosmer, an undrafted rookie who threw four interceptions in his first career start at Seattle last weekend.
Absent a huge leap by either McCarthy or Brosmer, or the acquisition of a quarterback next spring who shows big potential early, Jefferson’s patience could begin to wane by as early as the coming trade deadline. At that point, the Chiefs and a couple of first-round picks might look like a sensible solution to everyone involved.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
