Chiefs get warning about Patrick Mahomes' injury recovery

The Kansas City Chiefs just didn't look like themselves last season. This is a team used to going all the way, almost every year. The Chiefs, instead, didn't even make it to the playoffs. It was a shocker, but that's the NFL. It can be unpredictable. Fickle.

On top of it, late in the season, the Chiefs lost Patrick Mahomes to an ACL and LCL injury. He's been rehabbing and wants to be back for the first game of the season, but that's still in question. Nothing is guaranteed.

The Chiefs shouldn't, and likely won't, rush into getting Mahomes on the field. It's better to be fully recovered than to risk getting injured all over again. That would pretty much kiss the Chiefs' season goodbye.

Patrick Mahomes' injury recovery highlighted in ESPN feature

So, Mahomes' injury recovery is crucial to the Chiefs, and that's why Ben Solak of ESPN highlights it in a feature out on Tuesday.

"There's lots of optimism in Kansas City, where Mahomes seems to be recovering from a torn ACL and LCL as well as anyone could have hoped," he says. "The recovery target since his December injury has always been the Week 1 opener, and all signs point to Mahomes being ready for that date."

But, he has some tough questions about Mahomes' recovery.

"But will Mahomes participate immediately in training camp? Or how about in preseason, where old-school coach Andy Reid typically plays his starters for at least some time?" he asks.

Then, Solak notes that there's an "urgency to get Mahomes on the field after the Chiefs missed the playoffs in 2025, a failure previously thought impossible in the Mahomes era. But it's not like the scheme is new or there are any major new pass catchers. There isn't a huge need for Mahomes to get out there and build team chemistry quickly."

So, waiting is the smart thing. Ultimately, he thinks the Chiefs won't rush this one.