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Patrick Mahomes suffered a devastating knee injury that ended his 2025 season and completely dashed the Kansas City Chiefs’ hopes of making the playoffs.
Mahomes was injured on December 14, 2025, in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers. An ACL tear typically takes about nine months for most athletes to recover and return to the sport they play. That would peg Mahomes’ return around the first week of the 2026 season.
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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) walks on the field before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on November 27, 2025. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)
While his status for the start of the 2026 regular season is still up in the air, the star quarterback released a video that would have any NFL fan excited for his return to the field.
âQB1 back in the lab,â the Chiefs wrote on X.
The video showed Mahomes backing up and throwing a football. He was seen with a black compression sleeve on his leg. It was only a six-second clip, but he seemed to be making good progress in his rehabilitation process.
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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws a pass against the Dallas Cowboys during the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium on November 27, 2025. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)
Mahomes addressed his status in January once the season ended.
“First of all, the rehab is going great so far. I’ve gone through all the checkpoints that the doctor wants you to do and I’ve got my strength and mobility back,” Mahomes said. “So it’s going really well. I’ve done all of that here in Kansas City so far. (Assistant athletic trainer) Julie (Frymyer) has been crushing it, pushing me. The doctor kind of gives you goals to achieve, and I’m just trying to maximize them, and they’re holding me back because I always want to go a little bit further. It’s been going really well.
“I think long term I want to be ready for Week 1. The doctor says I might be, but I can’t predict what’s going to happen throughout the process, but that’s my goal, so I’m going to try to prepare myself to be ready to play this Week 1 and have no restrictions. You want to be healthy and give us the best chance to win. Obviously, I’m hoping to be able to do some things in OTAs and go to training camp and hopefully, being able to do a lot of things there. I’m excited about the process. It’s a long process, but I’m excited about it.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes grabs his knee after being injured during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Missouri. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
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The Chiefs traded for Justin Fields this month to add depth at quarterback.
