Chiefs Send LT Josh Simmons to IR After Meeting Room Meltdown

Getting benched is one thing, but getting kicked out of a team meeting by Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes is a special kind of career milestone. According to a report from Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport, that is exactly what happened to Kansas City Chiefs left tackle Josh Simmons last week before the team officially decided to stash him on injured reserve.

Trading words with the guy who calls the plays is a bold strategy for a 2025 first-round pick who has already missed four straight games with a bulging disc in his lower back. Simmons reportedly apologized after the fact, but the damage was done. When the franchise quarterback and the future Hall of Fame coach both point to the door, you walk through it.

"Mike Garafolo reported that Simmons was told to leave a team meeting last week by Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes after trading words with Reid."

The Chiefs have been trying to manage this situation for weeks, and the frustration is clearly boiling over. Reid even told reporters he hopes he gets fewer questions about the young lineman now that the medical staff has officially moved him to IR. It is the classic NFL maneuver of using a legitimate injury to buy some peace and quiet.

Kansas City just handled the Los Angeles Chargers 22-6, and Mahomes is humming along with 1,309 passing yards and nine touchdowns on the year. They do not have time to babysit a frustrated tackle when they are trying to protect the most valuable asset in the sport. If you are looking at the lines for their upcoming matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, you have to factor in that the Chiefs are now officially rolling with backup blindside protection.

Simmons now gets a mandatory vacation to rehab his back and think about his life choices. The Chiefs get an open roster spot and a drama-free meeting room as they head to Seattle. We will see if the time away fixes the bulging disc, but repairing the relationship with Mahomes might take a lot longer than four weeks on IR.