With Mahomes and Minshew hurting, Chris Oladokun breaks his silence on what it really means to be Andy Reid’s next man up in Kansas City.QQ
Quarterback Chris Oladokun is finally getting his chance to start for the Kansas City Chiefs with Andy Reid missing both Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew for the remainder of the year.
When it rains, it pours. Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs learned that the hard way in 2025, watching Gardner Minshew get injured only a week after losing Patrick Mahomes for the rest of the year. However, when one door closes, another opens—and that’s the case for Chris Oladokun.
After four years in Kansas City, mostly with the practice squad, Oladokun sent a clear message to Reid about being the Chiefs QB with Minshew and Mahomes injured. The 28-year-old revealed he’d always prepared as if he’d play, and the opportunity arrived late in the 2025 NFL season.
On Sunday, Oladokun was tossed into the fire when Minshew hurt his left knee, but his response was quite encouraging. Speaking to the media after the Week 16 loss to the Tennessee Titans, Oladokun let Reid know he didn’t feel under pressure. On the contrary, the quarterback admitted that taking the field was something he was craving for all this time.
“That the moment wasn’t too big for me,” Oladokun said. “I felt really calm out there. Felt like I was seeing things pretty good, game didn’t seem too fast for me. And you just never know how you’re going to react in those situations until you’re in it. I’m never too high, never too low in those moments. So, it was good to go out there and get some live regular-season snaps because that’s just something that I haven’t really had these past four years.”
Chris Oladokun during a play with the Chiefs against the Titans.
Oladokun’s response in the Chiefs loss to Titans
Fortunately for the quarterback, Reid approved Oladokun’s performance as the Chiefs QB without Minshew or Mahomes, regretting not preparing him with more reps in practice before the Titans game.
Despite the lack of participation during the week and being activated on short notice, with the Chiefs adding him to the 53-man roster only a day before the game, Oladokun was up to the task—even if Kansas City suffered a 9-26 loss.
With 11 completions on 16 attempts for 111 yards, the 2022 seventh-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers proved capable of moving the chains, putting his team in field-goal range more than once.
Oladokun couldn’t complete a touchdown but didn’t have turnovers either, despite being sacked four times. Not bad considering it was only his second game in the NFL, having logged just one rush for five yards in a brief appearance in 2024.
Oladokun still Chiefs QB1 to finish 2025 despite new signing
With not much time to prepare for the Christmas game against the Denver Broncos on Thursday, Oladokun is in line to make his first NFL start. The Chiefs may have signed a new QB by poaching Shane Buechele off the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad, but that was only to add depth behind Oladokun. With Minshew and Mahomes out, the team needed another healthy player in the QB room.
