Chiefs Offer Encouraging Glimpses at Mahomes Rehab

Vigorous approach

Mahomes obviously isn’t playing this week as the Chiefs wrap up a surreal season on Sunday at Las Vegas (3:25 p.m. CT, CBS/KCTV, Channel 5, 96.5 The Fan). But by all accounts, he’s approached the first stage of rehabilitation with as much vigor as he would an AFC West gameplan.

Kansas City has more questions than anyone can remember in recent offseasons, but Mahomes and his long road back is the largest unknown. The last time the Chiefs had to navigate an offseason without their starting quarterback was 2016.

But Mahomes has been in Kansas City since the week of his Dec. 15 surgery, which repaired torn ACL and LCL injuries in his left knee. He’s had a chance to interact with teammates and coaches, and generated plenty of positives as the franchise anticipates that offseason.

“Obviously, the question is going to be Pat with his knee,” offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said Thursday. “And, again, I never would want to put any type of timeline on him, but I know him way too well. I know how he's wired, and I feel really good about where he's at and where he will be.”

Offseason mindset

Nagy said the offseason will be different, but with Mahomes completing the majority of his rehab in Kansas City, he’ll at least be with the team. The quarterback has traditionally offered feedback to general manager Brett Veach on draft prospects and free agents. And Nagy reiterated that Mahomes also collaborates with the coaching staff on schemes and concepts.

But without him on the field until at least the Sept. 13 weekend opener, Nagy sees a silver lining for someone.

“He'll be out here with us,” Nagy said. “He'll talk through things. He'll lead us. But let's all step our game up a little bit. Let's all lead a little bit more and make up for it, until he does get back and he is out there physically to make the throws and do the drops and everything again.

“Pat, he's on a different level now, and there's not many people that are going to rehab back as strong or as quickly as he will. But there's got to be some patience to it, and I think everybody else involved just has to step up a little bit. Us as coaches, too.”

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