The Kansas City Chiefs relayed a massive Josh Simmons update on November 3, with the 2025 bye week getting underway in KC, and FOX Sports NFL insider Jordan Schultz was the first to report on the big news.

“Sources: Chiefs rookie LT Josh Simmons has returned to the team facility after missing the last four games to tend to a personal family matter,” Schultz informed on Monday afternoon. “Simmons started the first five games of the season and was outstanding. His return is a huge boost for Kansas City.”

Before long, this news was confirmed by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport and Chiefs Digest insider Matt Derrick.

Rapoport added that the bye week should serve as a “time of re-acclimation” for the Chiefs’ rookie left tackle. It appears the mysterious Josh Simmons saga is finally over.

Fans started to grow restless about the whereabouts of Simmons after Kansas City lost to the AFC rival Buffalo Bills in Week 9, but credit the Chiefs organization for their patience.

That goes a long way within a locker room, and KC gave Simmons all the time he needed as he dealt with what was described as a serious family matter. Even Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt came off as very understanding of the rookie’s situation.

“It’s not something I can go into,” Hunt said on October 27, just before Kansas City’s Week 8 outing on Monday Night Football. “It is a private family matter. And we’ve had good communication with him, and there’s an understanding by both parties as to where he is, and we’re hopeful to have him back with the team at some time in the future.”

Similarly, head coach Andy Reid has often stressed that Simmons’ absence is nothing negative from a player conduct standpoint. And that the Chiefs will simply make do with backup offensive tackle Jaylon Moore until he returns.

That plan had been working for a time, up until Week 9 in Buffalo.

It wasn’t just Moore who was at fault, but he was part of the problem as the entire Chiefs offensive line seemed to crumble in front of quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Week 9.

According to Next Gen Stats, “the Bills pressured Patrick Mahomes on 52.6% of his dropbacks” in this Week 9 matchup. That’s “+14.3% higher than their pressure rate in any of their other 9 matchups against the Chiefs since 2020.”

The NFL data site added that “Mahomes completed just 3 of 16 passes for 61 yards and an interception when pressured.”

In total, Buffalo was credited with 3.0 sacks and a bone-crunching 15 QB hits. This led to one of the least-efficient games of Mahomes’ entire career, with a 50.0 QBR out of 100 and a poor passer rating of 57.2.

By comparison, Bills quarterback Josh Allen posted a QBR of 83.9 out of 100 and a passer rating of 123.2. Mahomes did not throw a passing touchdown in Week 9, although the Chiefs did manage two rushing touchdowns in the red zone.

Even so, it was not the type of QB performance that Chiefs fans are used to seeing, and that begins with the offensive line. Even the most talented NFL quarterbacks need quality blocking to succeed, and that includes future Hall of Famer Patrick Mahomes.