The Kansas City Chiefs are heading toward the 2026 regular season with plenty to prove after last year's 6-11 finish, the worst record of Andy Reid's tenure.

Reid, entering his 14th season as Kansas City's head coach, offered insight into the mindset he sees in his players during an appearance on Coach2Coach with Jason Garrett. Even with established stars like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, Reid doesn't believe anyone gets a free pass.

“The guys don’t want to lose. These guys, they want to win the game, right? That’s what they do. You come to a couple of the practices during training camp, and you go, they’re not doing this right here to go lose the game, right?” head coach Andy Reid said on 27 August.

Mahomes and Kelce have already achieved plenty in Kansas City, but Reid continues to push them when he feels there is more to get from them.

“And if you keep that up and you work hard, you’re going to go out there, and you’re going to try to dominate," Reid said on the Coach2Coach podcast on 27 August.

Mahomes wanted to play in the Chiefs’ 16-15 preseason loss to Tampa Bay, but Reid chose to keep him out. The quarterback has been cleared to start the season, with Kansas City opening against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 14.

The Chiefs have added more talent around their veterans, including Kenneth Walker III and first-round pick Mansoor Delane.

Former LSU star Tyrann Mathieu has also been around the team this summer as a volunteer coach, according to Marca.

"That’s what you’re going to try to do. So give them things that they can do to help them dominate,” Reid added.

While Reid continues to push his stars, Kelce has noticed the same hunger from Mahomes as he works his way back.

Travis Kelce reveals what stands out about Patrick Mahomes

The Kansas City Chiefs are getting closer to the 2026 regular season, and Travis Kelce likes what he has seen from Patrick Mahomes along the way.

Mahomes is coming back from the ACL injury that ended his 2025 season, but his focus hasn't only been on getting himself ready.

“We’ve got a lot of great players on this offense. It’s not just me,” Kelce told ESPN’s Nate Taylor on August 27.

Kelce also gave Mahomes plenty of credit for the way he has handled his recovery.

“Pat has done an unbelievable job of not only getting himself ready, but working with these receivers and making sure that everybody’s living up to that standard of how we’re going to play this year,” Kelce added.

With Mahomes' return moving in the right direction and new pieces joining the offense, Kelce's comments offer a glimpse at the work happening inside Kansas City's building before Week 1.

Written by

Debanjali Rakshit

Edited by

Debanjali Rakshit