What Happened to Josh Simmons? Kansas City Chiefs Addressed His Lengthy Absence
The former The Ohio State University football champ missed several practices and a Week 6 game with the Chiefs in October 2025.
Kansas City Chiefs starter Josh Simmons sprung the team into action when he was drafted to the team in 2025 following a stellar run with The Ohio State University‘s football team. During his time with the renowned college football team, Josh won a national championship just one year after transferring. The attention he gained from the team earned the athlete a spot on the Chiefs soon after graduation.
Article continues below advertisement
Based on Josh’s track record, it seemed that nothing could stop him from being an unstoppable force in the NFL. However, when he went missing from one of the Chiefs’s victorious moments, many football fans wondered what happened to him. Here’s what to know.
Article continues below advertisement
Josh’s absence was announced by the Chiefs ahead of the team’s Week 6 game against the Detroit Lions, which took place during Sunday Night Football on Oct. 19, 2025. According to USA Today, he was downgraded to “questionable” hours at the game, and the Chiefs listed him as having a “Not Injury Related — Personal” on its availability report. It was later confirmed that Josh went home to California, with USA Today stating he was, “dealing with a family matter back home.”
Before Josh’s reasoning for being absent was shared to the public, the Chiefs’s coach, Andy Reid, shared that the starter might be absent from the game. Ahead of the game, he missed the practices on Wednesday and Thursday, forcing Reid to discuss how long he thought Josh would be away from the team. During the opening of a press conference on Wednesday, Oct. 15, the coach said he didn’t have an update on when Josh would return to the team.
Article continues below advertisement
“As far as Josh Simmons’ situation goes, I’m not going to comment on it today,” Reid told reporters during the press conference. “[General manager Brett] Veach is handling everything there. And we’ll leave it at that.”
The coach also declined to share when he expected Josh to return to the field. As the reporters at the press conference asked him for an timeline of his return, Reid shook his head no.
Article continues below advertisement
Josh Simmons received support from his teammate, Patrick Mahomes, during his absence.
Although Josh’s return to the Chiefs wasn’t immediately confirmed by him nor any of his team members, some of the athlete’s teammates expressed their support for him. One of his most public supporters was the Chiefs’ QB, Patrick Mahomes, who shared at the Oct. 15 press conference that he had spoken to Josh privately. However, when reporters inquired about their conversation, Patrick declined to delve into any details.
Article continues below advertisement
“ll keep conversations kind of between us,” Patrick declared. “But I’m always praying for him. I’m praying for all my teammates, so I’m always praying for him. I’ll just keep everything else kind of private to us.”
According to his interview with 96.5’s The Fan on Oct. 16, (at the 2 hour and 40-minute mark). ESPN’s Nate Taylor stated Josh’s “family matter” was a serious matter and said he “can’t imagine what he’s going through, based on what I’ve heard.” As of this writing, the athlete himself has yet to provide a statement.
