Why are the Chiefs resting Patrick Mahomes, other stars in their season finale?

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With the Kansas City Chiefs’ No. 1 seed in the AFC locked up heading into the playoffs, you won’t see a few key players on the field in the Chiefs’ final game of the regular season against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Jan. 5.

Fans may remember the same happening during the 2023 season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, when the Chiefs also secured their playoff spot. The Chiefs placed seven members on the inactive list for every game, and the final game of the 2023 season saw Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce on the list, who were all key starters on the team that eventually won a Super Bowl.

We know at least one of them will be on the inactive list for the last game of the 2024 season. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wednesday that he’ll rest Mahomes against Denver, and backup quarterback Carson Wentz will start. The move lines up with Reid’s history of resting starters in games that can’t affect his team’s playoff seeding.

While Mahomes won’t play, you could still see him in uniform Sunday. Here’s why teams sometimes don’t use players in pre-playoff games and why some players still have to put on the pads even if they aren’t going on the field.

Why won’t Patrick Mahomes play?

After the Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas, fans could immediately sense that it would be the last time they’d see Mahomes on the field until the playoffs.

With at least 24 days from that game to an AFC Divisional Round playoff game (the earliest they could play is Jan. 18), the incentive to play your starting quarterback is low because of the injury risks.

The quarterback is widely known as the most important position in the NFL, since they are the leaders of the offense. While players can get injured in practice or outside the field, teams like the Chiefs want to minimize the risk by taking their quarterback out of harm’s way.

Other players on the Chiefs and across the NFL will also sit out for the same reason.

The Miami Dolphins lost edge rusher Bradley Chubb after he suffered a season-ending knee injury in a blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens in 2023, and Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said he regretted keeping him in the game. His injury happened in Week 17, but it kept him from helping the team in key games against the Buffalo Bills for the AFC East division title and the AFC Wild Card game against the Chiefs the following week.

Reid said it wasn’t a hard decision when it came to resting Mahomes for the last game of the regular season.

Is there a benefit to resting players in the NFL?

The benefit of keeping or getting your players healthy in time for the playoffs is the most important incentive. Fans saw a difference Kelce’s performance in the 2023 playoffs after he was inactive for their season finale.

Kelce had more time to recover from an ankle injury he suffered in the regular season, and it led to some big-time performances against the Dolphins, Bills, Ravens and 49ers in the playoffs.

Teams can only place seven members on the inactive list, so you may see some starters play throughout the game against the Broncos as they try to stun their division foe or add some extra money to their bank accounts. Other players may be listed as active and suit up, but won’t take the field.

Some player contracts come with incentives where if they reach a specific statistic, they receive additional money. Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones played in the 2023 season finale in hopes of getting one sack so he could reach his $1.25 million contract incentive. Jones started and got his sack in the third quarter.

This season, wide receiver Deandre Hopkins has multiple bonus incentives in his contract. According to spotrac.com, Hopkins can add some bonus money if he reaches these milestones:

• $250,000 for 65 receptions: He’s at 56 with his 14 catches for the Tennessee Titans and 41 for the Chiefs

• $250,000 for 750 receiving yards: He’s 140 yards away

• $250,000 for six touchdowns: He has five touchdowns so far this season.

Some teams may choose to not rest anyone as to not show favoritism toward one player. New North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick said it could send the wrong message to players — that one starter’s health matters, but theirs doesn’t.

“To just say, ‘Well, you guys are important, but you other guys aren’t, we don’t care what happens to you. Get out there and play,’” Belichick said. “That’s not a message I could ever send to the team. Even though there were people in the organization that wanted me to send that, I just couldn’t do it.”