Patrick Mahomes injury update: Chiefs QB sets return date from torn ACL
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is looking to be fully recovered from his torn ACL when the team kicks off the 2026 season in September. Per Omar Ruiz of the NFL Network, Mahomes told reporters that the rehab is going “great,” and doctors have to hold him back from pushing harder. Mahomes said he wants to be ready for the Chiefs’ Week 1 matchup, but the doctors said he has a “long way to go.”
Patrick Mahomes suffered the injury during the Chiefs’ 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in December. Recovery from a torn ACL takes around nine months, meaning that Mahomes would miss the offseason program and could miss the opening game.
“He’ll attack it, just like he does everything else,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said about Mahomes’ rehab last month, per ESPN. “There have been some pretty good quarterbacks who have had the same injury, and they’ve done pretty well after they came back. He’ll get after it, and he’s got good people here to rehab him. He’ll be right on top of all of that. As long as the surgery goes well, as expected, then I would expect a fairly quick recovery for him, just because of those factors.”
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Patrick Mahomes ready to come back ‘stronger than ever’
After the injury, Mahomes shared his reaction on social media. “Don’t know why this had to happen,” Mahomes wrote. “And not going to lie, [it] hurts. 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.
This is the first major injury for Mahomes since entering the NFL in 2017. He became the Chiefs’ starter in 2018 and has led the team to either the AFC Championship or Super Bowl in the last seven seasons. In his career, Mahomes has won three Super Bowls, been named Super Bowl MVP three times, won the NFL MVP award twice, selected to the Pro Bowl six times. and selected to the All-Pro Team three times.