Chiefs, Shane Buechele Reportedly Agree to Contract After Mahomes, Minshew Injuries

The Kansas City Chiefs are signing quarterback Shane Buechele from the Buffalo Bills' practice squad, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Kansas City has been eliminated from playoff contention but finds itself in a QB crisis. With Patrick Mahomes already sidelined, the Chiefs watched Gardner Minshew suffer a non-displaced tibial plateau fracture in their 26-9 loss to the Tennessee Titans, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Buechele originally signed with Kansas City as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He remained with the team through the 2022 season before joining the Bills in 2023.

A neck injury kept the 27-year-old out for all of 2024.

Buechele looked good in Buffalo's preseason finale this past August. He went 25-of-30 for 278 yards and a touchdown in a 23-19 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Still, he remained buried in the depth chart behind Josh Allen and Mitchell Trubisky.

Monday's move might set the stage for Buechele to get his first action in an NFL game.

Coming on in relief of Minshew, Chris Oladokun went 11-of-16 for 111 yards against Tennessee. Should he struggle on Thursday against the Denver Broncos or in a Week 18 clash with the Las Vegas Raiders, head coach Andy Reid may see little reason not to change quarterbacks.

Mahomes is the only QB the Chiefs have signed in 2026, so the next two games could be an important audition for Buechele.