Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is officially cleared for training camp. He’s ready to return to full participation following the ACL/LCL injury that ended his 2025 NFL season.

Mahomes spoke to the media for the first time ahead of training camp on Friday, and during that availability, he made a candid admission about the habits that put him in harm’s way last season. The three-time Super Bowl champion acknowledged that he carried the ball too much in 2025 and plans to lean on newly acquired RB Kenneth Walker this year.

“I plan to be able to do everything I did before,” Mahomes said. “I’ve been moving around and doing that stuff, but I’m gonna obviously try to take care of myself a little bit better than I did last season. I think I ran a little bit too much last season in general, so I’ll try to be better with that. And then if all else fails, just give it to K9 (Kenneth Walker) and let him just go out there and work.”

There’s a lot of excitement building as the Chiefs head to Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri, for training camp. Mahomes has spent months rehabbing every single day in Kansas City, and the opportunity to get back on the practice field and do real football work again has him fired up. Yet, even with that enthusiasm, he’s approaching his return with a level of self-awareness that should encourage everyone in the building.

Diagnosing Mahomes’ rushing habits from the 2025 NFL season

Mahomes has always been a bit underrated as a rushing quarterback, but during the 2025 season, he took it to another level in just 14 games started. He posted the most rushing yards of his career with 422, the second-most carries of his career with 64, and the most rushing touchdowns in a single regular season with 5. He picked up 27 first downs with his legs, the third-most during his career.

Those numbers tell the story of a quarterback who put the team on his back and didn’t allow the playmakers around him to go out and make plays. What Mahomes is getting back to this season is something he was comfortable with early in his career: distributing the football and letting his weapons do the work, especially in the running game.

That’s where Walker enters the picture. Kansas City brought him in to be the bell cow running back heading into the 2026 season, and his skill set is tailor-made for the role Mahomes is describing. Walker is an explosive rusher who is also patient and strong between the tackles, with the ability to pick up first downs, score rushing touchdowns, and break off the big play.

Learning from past injuries

Mahomes’ willingness to adjust his approach isn’t new. Think back to his first significant knee injury during the 2019 season, the kneecap dislocation against the Denver Broncos that happened on a quarterback sneak. Mahomes has not run a quarterback sneak since. He has said that if the situation ever demanded one, he would do it, but the habit changed.

He’ll likely apply that same logic to carrying the football going forward. There are going to be times where the situation calls for Mahomes to scramble and pick up rushing yards with his legs. He’s not going to stop being Patrick Mahomes. However, he’s going to try to be smarter about it than he was a season ago. The last thing he wants is to put himself in harm’s way and be sidelined, away from his teammates, due to injury.

Mahomes is officially cleared for training camp practices, marking a return to full participation following his 2025 ACL/LCL injury. His clearance for training camp is just the start. This is the beginning of his return, and he’ll have to keep making strides every single day. Part of that process is recognizing that some of his old habits need to change, even as he works to get back to being the same player he was before. The smart move, as he put it, is to give the ball to K9 and let him get out there and work.