The NFL schedule release is coming in the next few weeks, and one of the questions hanging over it is one the league would probably rather not have to answer: what do you do with Patrick Mahomes?<\/p>\n
Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL on Dec. 14, 2025, and has been rehabbing aggressively ever since. Fox\u2019s Jay Glazer reported in March<\/a> that Mahomes would be back \u201cby far\u201d before Week 1, and ESPN reported last week that<\/a> he is on track to participate in the Chiefs\u2019 first OTAs later this month. But \u201con track for OTAs in May\u201d and \u201cready for a prime time game in September\u201d are two different things, and the NFL has to build a schedule around a quarterback whose status remains technically uncertain.<\/p>\n North spoke about prior to the NFL Draft on the It\u2019s Always Game Day in Buffalo podcast, admitting that the league wants Mahomes in primetime, but it can\u2019t build its marquee matchups around a quarterback who may or may not be healthy when the season kicks off.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s one of the biggest stars in the league, and I don\u2019t think any of us would feel great if we had him in prime time early in the season and he missed the first four weeks or whatever,\u201d North said<\/a>. \u201cThat being said, that\u2019s a good football team, that\u2019s a good coach over there, and they went and signed a veteran starting quarterback in this league.\u201d<\/p>\n That veteran quarterback is Justin Fields, whom the Chiefs acquired from the Jets in March, sending just a 2027 sixth-round pick to get him. And while we know who Fields is<\/a> at this point, Andy Reid is Andy Reid, and Kansas City\u2019s roster remains one of the better ones in the league. Still, there\u2019s a meaningful difference between Chiefs-Bills with Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs-Bills without him, and the NFL knows this.<\/p>\n \u201cWould the league want to use the big Chiefs-Bills game in Week 1? That\u2019s a fair question,\u201d North said. \u201cI\u2019m not sure it does 30 or 35 million viewers in Week 1 without Patrick Mahomes. So certainly some thought to maximizing that quarterback and this rivalry.\u201d<\/p>\n Chiefs owner Clark Hunt cast doubt last month<\/a> on Kansas City appearing in Seattle for the season opener, saying \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s on the table anymore for us\u201d and suggesting the league wouldn\u2019t want to take the risk of building its biggest night around a quarterback whose availability was still unclear. North\u2019s comments suggest the same logic applies to any high-profile early-season matchup for the Chiefs.<\/p>\n The thing is, the NFL can\u2019t simply push all of its Chiefs\u2019 prime time inventory to the back half of the season. Kansas City figures to appear nationally 10 or more times between primetime games and late-window afternoon games, and the league learned last year<\/a> what happens when you save all of it for December.<\/p>\n \u201cWe still had that Chiefs-Broncos game on Christmas after Mahomes got hurt and the team was eliminated from playoff contention,\u201d North said. \u201cSo I\u2019d hate to save all the Chiefs\u2019 prime time appearances for the end of the season. There\u2019s going to have to be something early.\u201d<\/p>\n The most likely outcome, based on North\u2019s comments, is that the Chiefs get something meaningful in the first few weeks without necessarily banking a marquee matchup on Mahomes being available for Week 1.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe not Bills-Chiefs Week 1,\u201d North said, \u201cbut never say never.\u201d<\/p>\n