NFL News: Andy Reid’s Chiefs already sign potential Patrick Mahomes’ backup as Carson Wentz hits free agency
With Carson Wentz set for free agency in March, Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs may have already found the backup quarterback for Patrick Mahomes ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
Changes could be coming on the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of the 2025 NFL season. While two Super Bowl champions with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes left for the New York Giants, the team knows that it could also lose Carson Wentz in free agency.
The veteran quarterback’s one-year deal with Kansas City is expiring, which is why the 32-year-old can explore his options in the open market in March. The front office, however, has already made a move in case Wentz leaves.
The NFL’s personnel notice from February 11 shows that the Chiefs signed quarterback Chris Oladokun to a reserve/future contract, in a move that grants Reid some depth behind Mahomes ahead of the 2025 season.
Chris Oladokun’s history with Reid, Mahomes’ Chiefs
Oladokun, 27, has been around Reid and Mahomes since 2022, when he joined the Chiefs’ practice squad only a few days after being released by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had used a seventh-round pick to get him in that year’s NFL Draft.
Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs and Chris Oladokun #13 of the Kansas City Chiefs speak during a game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on January 07, 2024 in Inglewood, California.
The Florida native wasn’t activated until the 2023 NFL regular season finale, but didn’t play a single snap against the Los Angeles Chargers. Oladokun’s first appearance in an official game for the Chiefs came in this season’s Week 18 loss to the Denver Broncos.
Wentz got his first start on a Chiefs uniform that day, going 10-of-17 for 98 yards before Reid gave Oladokun the chance to make his NFL debut, with the 27-year-old logging one rush for five yards in his short time on the field.
Oladokun’s contribution to the Chiefs’ success as the scout team QB
Oladokun’s role on the Chiefs all these years was limited to the practice squad, where he often helped the defense prepare for games by mimicking opposing quarterbacks. Last year, for instance, Oladokun earned Reid’s praise for his imitation of Lamar Jackson ahead of the 2024 AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens.
“Coach (Andy) Reid was like, ‘Hey, this has never been done before, but our Defensive Player of the Game’ and he said my name and the defense was fired up for me,” Oladokun told Justin Stuckey on the ‘Stuck in My Thoughts’ podcast in July 2024, via Chiefs Wire. “To have that validation, like, ‘We need you. You helped us win this game, and it is something I’ll never forget because I’m not waking up at 5:30 every morning for nothing. I’m valuable to this team.”
Another chance for Oladokun to battle for backup role behind Mahomes
Oladokun’s lack of playing time in the NFL, however, may raise a big question mark on how much the Chiefs can rely on him to be Mahomes’ backup in 2025. That said, he does know Reid’s system in and out. And the coach tends to stick to players familiar with the playbook.
Of course, it’s the chance he’s been working for all these years. We’ll have to wait and see whether it’s against Wentz or another quarterback, but at least Oladokun will get the opportunity to battle for the backup spot this summer.
