Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes says rehab from his injured knee is going well and the goal remains the same: to return before Week 1 of the 2026 season.
“It’s been going great,” Mahomes said Thursday. “Obviously, long term, I want to be ready for Week 1. The doctor said I might be.”
But “could” remains the operative word. Mahomes tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee in the Chiefs’ Week 15 loss to the Chargers in mid-December. He had surgery to repair both the next day and is now almost a month into rehabilitation.
ACL tears usually take about nine months to fully heal, although each case is unique. Mahomes said he has been hitting the checkpoints and goals set by his medical team and trying to “optimize” the process.
Mahomes, 30, said his doctors had to hold him back from pushing his rehab harder, fearing a relapse. His hope is to increase his activity over the summer to reach his Week 1 goal.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to do something in OTAs and get to training camp and do something there,” Mahomes said.
For now, Mahomes feels his goals are attainable, but he also acknowledged that he won’t know for some time if they are realistic.
“Obviously, you can’t predict what’s going to happen in the whole process,” Mahomes said. “So I’ll try to prepare to play Week 1 and have no limitations. You want to stay healthy and give us the best chance to win.”