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Josh Simmons at Odds with Kansas City Chiefs?
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- Josh Simmons at Odds with Kansas City Chiefs?
Offensive tackle Josh Simmons' year-and-a-half with the Kansas City Chiefs after being drafted in the first round hasn't gone according to plan. He played in just eight games as a rookie due to injury and personal reasons. He has yet to play in a game this season due to a bulging disc in his back.
News broke over the weekend that Simmons was instructed to leave a team meeting by head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes last week . Simmons was sitting with his feet up in the offense's meeting room when Reid asked him to put his feet down, according to multiple sources in the room.
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Simmons pushed back by telling Reid he had to sit that way because his back and hips were aching, according to sources. Reid instructed Simmons to get treatment from the athletic trainers if he was indeed in pain. The incident continued and disrupted the meeting, sources said, until Mahomes also instructed Simmons to leave the room and go get treatment. Simmons left the room but did not leave the building. Later in the day, Simmons apologized to Reid and team leadership by saying he could have handled the situation better.
The situation occurred Wednesday, and he was listed on the injury report as "back/not injury related-personal." Chiefs vice president of sports medicine and performance Rick Burkholder said Thursday that the personal reason for Simmons missing practice the previous day was the team gave Simmons time to talk to his family and representation about the next steps in his rehab process. Simmons was placed on IR Thursday, the day after the incident.
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The team opted to avoid Injured Reserve to start the season thinking that Simmons could be back within the first month, but he was placed on IR last week and will not be eligible to play until Week 11.
This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
