Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes Throwing, Season Opener Still In Question

Mahomes’ season-ending injury came in the 15th week of the NFL season, when the 30-year-old rolled out right for a pass then tripped over an opposing defensive lineman after releasing his throw. It was quickly announced that he had torn his ACL. As reports the next day delivered news of his surgery, further reports showed that he had also torn his LCL in the prior day’s game.

The late-season timing of the injury, combined with the additional damage to the LCL, painted a grim timeline of recovery that would make a 2026 season opening debut tough to swing. The serious injury was unfamiliar territory for the usual ironman quarterback. Never missing more than a pair of games due to injury in the NFL, Mahomes now stared down long recovery that would require months of rehabilitation.

According to ESPN’s Nate Taylor, Mahomes has taken to recovery like a fish to water. Per his head coach, Andy Reid, “He’s around here all the time. He spends a ton of time here, seven hours a day. He’s in there cranking away and making progress every day. It’s great to see.

“(Athletic Trainer) Julie (Frymyer) grinds on him and makes sure he stays on task and challenges him. He keeps showing up. That’s about half the battle on these things when you have these injuries. It’s not going to be a pleasant thing. Every day, you’ve got to fight through it, and you’ve got to attack the challenge of the workout and rehab. He’s doing a great job with that.”

Being the 100th day since coming out of surgery, today stood as a checkpoint for Mahomes. Based on his current capabilities, Kansas City is “optimistic that Mahomes is on track to participate — even in a limited capacity — in the team’s voluntary offseason practices” expected to start in May. That is certainly a benchmark to watch, but Mahomes has his eyes on a date further in the future.

When asked if he’d be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season, Mahomes told reporters, “The doctors said I could, but I can’t predict what happens throughout the process. That’s the goal, to play Week 1 and have no restrictions. You want to be out there healthy and give us the best chance to win. I hope to do some things in OTAs and training camp and be able to do things there.”

With the diligence he’s shown so far in rehabbing, Mahomes stands every chance of making it back to the field in time. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, though, if he isn’t ready to take the field in September, Mahomes will simply have to sit and keep working his way back. Rapoport characterizes Kansas City’s medical staff as very good and conservative. We’re a long way from that point, though, so Mahomes has time to make things happen.