Mahomes suffered a season-ending knee injury in December, just three weeks before the end of a campaign in which the Chiefs failed to make the postseason for the first time since 2014. He had surgery to repair the knee the next day, putting him on an uncertain schedule for 2026.
The fact that Mahomes was able to step into any role this week represents progress. As he pointed out, Mahomes is at the point in his journey that he expected to reach by the end of May, and coach Andy Reid was pleased with the progress Mahomes has made since December, the result of Mahomes having “worked his tail off to get to this position.”
The goal, Mahomes said, is to be on the field in Week 1 when the Chiefs host the reigning AFC West prime-time champion Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium. That still doesn’t guarantee he’ll be ready for Week 1, meaning the Chiefs may have to draft Justin Fields, Chris Oladokun or rookie Garrett Nussmeier to fill in on an interim basis.
Whenever Mahomes returns, he will only do so with full confidence that he can be at his best.
“I’m going to be honest with you, I know that whenever I come out on the field and I feel like I can be Patrick Mahomes, I’m going to be Patrick Mahomes,” he said. “I’ve never felt like I’m 100 percent; even when I have a sprained ankle I feel like I’m 100 percent of what I can be. So I’m going to have that mindset when I get on the court and when I get on the court I’m going to be myself. I’m not going to hold back.”
If his wildly successful career has earned him anything beyond hardware, it’s the faith of his teammates, who see his latest challenge as nothing more than further proof of his extraordinary talent.
“Nothing surprises me as far as what he does every single day,” point guard Trey Smith said, via Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports.
Hopefully, Mahomes continues to accumulate positive days and exceeds expectations on his way back to the starting lineup.