Doctors give Patrick Mahomes a clear timeline for return from knee injury

Patrick Mahomes wants to make his return for the Kansas City Chiefs by Week 1 of the 2026 season, and he believes it's possible.

Of course, players have been known to talk a big game when it comes to making returns from injury, and sometimes they seem to be a bit too optimistic. That's apparently not the case for Mahomes, though, who revealed on Thursday that his doctors have told him getting back for Week 1 is realistic.

"I want to be ready for Week 1. The doctors said I could, but I can't predict what happens throughout the process," Mahomes said, according to ESPN. "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."

Mahomes' injury on Dec. 14 against the Los Angeles Chargers was a devastating one. He didn't just tear his ACL; he tore his LCL as well. At the time of the injury, he wanted to play through it. The training staff obviously said no to that, and an MRI after the game revealed the extent of the damage.

Patrick Mahomes' ACL and LCL tears were "clean"

He underwent surgery to repair the two torn ligaments in mid-December. A well-known orthopedist, Dr. Dan Cooper, did the surgery in Dallas. Now, Mahomes has been rehabbing in Kansas City with a team physical therapist, and he's planning to travel to check in with Dr. Cooper from time-to-time. Mahomes revealed on Thursday that the doctors revealed that his tears were "clean," which is good for the timeline of his recovery.

"As bad as it was, it was as clean as it could be," Mahomes said. "There's a lot of little things that could happen around that knee that I didn't know. So now it's just about rehabbing and getting the ACL and the LCL right."

As far as rehab is concerned, Mahomes, ever the competitor, will want to push it. He knows his team will reel him in when needed, though. There's no use hurting himself further in the pursuit of getting back for Week 1, which will kick off on Sept. 10.

"Knowing me, I'm going to push it to the exact limit every single day," Mahomes said. "There's places you can't go yet. You want to, but you can't go yet. And they're doing it for a reason. It starts with Dr. Cooper and his team, and Julie and the training room."