The Chiefs have an optimistic outlook on Patrick Mahomes’ 2026 prospects.
Kansas City believes it should have its star quarterback back early in the season and even potentially for Week 1 after he tore both his ACL and LCL (lateral collateral ligament) during Sunday’s loss to the Chargers, according to the Associated Press.
Mahomes, 30, underwent surgery Monday, one day after suffering the injury in the loss that eliminated the Chiefs from playoff contention and snapped their streak of three straight AFC Championship games.
He has already begun his rehab and is returning to the team Friday.
“As you know in the past with Patrick and his injuries, he attacks them and does very well,” Chiefs vice president of sports medicine and performance Rick Burkholder said Wednesday. “He’s in that mode right now, I talk to him every day and coach (Andy Reid) does too and he’s already on it.”
Mahomes’ status for the 2026 season will be a top NFL storyline this offseason since the roughly nine-month timeline associated with ACL injuries would push him up against the start of the season.
This injury happened Dec. 14, and the 2025 NFL season opened Sept. 4. Next season’s first Sunday slate likely will be on Sept. 6 or Sept. 13
The Chiefs played in the season-opening games in 2023 and 2024, and the special Friday contest in Brazil this year against the Chargers, but may have to wait until Sunday to start the 2026 season.
Any setback could delay Mahomes’ start to the season, and it’s possible he could begin the year on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, which would sideline him for at least four games.
“The ballpark on this thing is nine months,” Burkholder said. “Could be a month or two less, month or two more. You never know what goes on and everyone is designed differently bio-mechanically, so you just have to go through it and he’s got position-specific things he’s got to do.”
Mahomes, who is wearing a protective brace on his left leg, is taking on this challenging recovery with an optimistic outlook.
“Don’t know why this had to happen. And not going to lie it’s hurts,” Mahomes wrote Sunday night on X after his team fell to 6-8. “But all we can do now is Trust in God and attack every single day over and over again. Thank you Chiefs kingdom for always supporting me and for everyone who has reached out and sent prayers. I Will be back stronger than ever.”
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Mahomes suffered the injury while being tackled in the final minutes of the 16-13 loss, grimacing in pain on the turf and having to be helped to the locker room by two staffers.
Burkholder said Mahomes underwent an MRI exam right after the game that revealed the torn ACL and LCL, and his support group opted for a second opinion.
He visited Dr. Dan Cooper in Dallas on Monday and then underwent surgery Monday night, an unusual move in terms of the timing.
Burkholder said Cooper said told them that every injury Mahomes suffered was “fixable.”
“The reason we wanted to operate on him quickly, we usually wait on the ACLs is because of the LCL, we wanted to re-attach the avulsion injury there,” Burkholder said.
Burkholder added that Mahomes will do most of his rehab with the Chiefs’ staff.
“As a player, his mindset is a little different than most,” Burkholder said. “He’s so regimented in what he does, he’s in here at 6 a.m, he’s the last guy out at night. He’ll take the rehab like that.
“When you add up all the little things, that allows the player to get back faster. They don’t heal up any faster, they just get back to performance faster.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
