KC Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes issued a hidden warning to those who underestimate his ability to be ready for 2026 NFL season
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is further along in his recovery than many expected he’d be at this point. He has full faith in his ability to not only be ready for Week 1, but to be 100% himself. All he has to do is continue to trust the process.
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is the talk of the NFL world after participating in OTAs just 5.5 months removed from knee surgery to repair a torn ACL and LCL. He’s not yet fully participating, doing only individual work and only 7-on-7 team drills. However, he’s well ahead of where folks seemed to expect him to be.
The goal remains the same for Patrick Mahomes: To play in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season.
“Yeah, for sure. As a competitor, I want to be out there with my guys,” Mahomes said on Thursday. “But I know that’s still a long way away, and so all I can do is execute the day and do whatever I can do to be better that day. We’ve done that up until now, and we’ve set these checkpoints and these goals of where I want to be at, and I’ve gotten to those, so now I just have to continue to do that at the right pace.”
Mahomes has a defined plan informed by feedback from the training staff and doctors. What’s clear is that Mahomes is not backing down from his expectations for himself for the upcoming season.
The question being asked is not just, “Will he be ready for Week 1?”
The question is now, “Will he be himself by Week 1?”
Mahomes’ answer is a hidden warning to those who say he won’t be 100% or fully capable should he see the field against the Denver Broncos in Week 1.
Typical recovery timeline for NFL athletes with ACL/LCL tears
Sept. 14’s game against the Broncos will mark 9.5 months from Mahomes’ knee surgery. That’s right around the low end of the average recovery timeline for a combined ligament tear involving the ACL/LCL.
- Low end: 9 months
- High end: 12 months
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ hidden warning to the rest of the NFL
One of the first questions Mahomes answered on Thursday: “Did you expect yourself to be this advanced through the rehab process?”
Outside expectations from quacks on Twitter, opposing fanbases, and even skeptics in Chiefs Kingdom were that he wasn’t going to be here. That he wouldn’t be ready or that the team would be cautious. Mahomes, however, always believed he’d be in this position as we sit in here in late May.
“I wanted to play,” Mahomes said. “I don’t want to miss games as much as possible. I know it’s not all in my control; it’s in God’s control at some point, but I’m going to give myself a chance by the way I work to be the best I can be. I’m in a good spot now, compared to where some people thought, but I thought I was going to be here. It’s just doing what I’m supposed to do every single day, and then hopefully that gives me the chance to be out there with the guys whenever we start the season.”
Asked about whether he feels 100% like himself as he works his way back, Mahomes was brutally honest about it. He’s never not felt like himself. Even when dealing with ailments other than his knee injury.
Mahomes also has very clear expectations for himself when the restrictions are finally lifted.
“I don’t know. I’m going to be honest with you,” Mahomes said. “I know that whenever I get out there on the field, and I feel like I can be Patrick Mahomes, I’ll be Patrick Mahomes. I’ve never not 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. I’m going to have that mindset when I go on the field, and when I get on the field, I’m going to be myself. I’m not going to hold back; I’m going to lay it on the line for my guys and my teammates.”
His hidden warning? When you see Patrick Mahomes on the football field this fall, he fully intends to be the Patrick Mahomes that Chiefs fans all know and love. He wore a knee brace on the same knee in college at Texas Tech, so that won’t be something that gets in the way. Right now, it’s all about the process. It’s long, and some days are admittedly better than others. Yet, he’s doing everything possible to give himself a chance to be ready.
And if he’s out there, expect nothing less than greatness.
“I can’t predict the future,” Mahomes said. “All I can do is be great today and then continue to be great tomorrow, but I’ve gotten to where I’ve gotten to because of that mindset and the goal at the end – the very far end is to be ready and to be able to go out there and play with the guys Week 1 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, but I have to take it day-by-day.”