Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is setting some lofty goals for himself as he rehabs and recovers from a season-ending knee injury that he suffered during Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Speaking to reporters one month after surgery to repair a torn ACL and LCL, Mahomes gave updates on his knee, the rehab process, and the goals he has set to be ready to start the 2026 NFL season.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes shares important details of his knee surgery

While ACL and LCL injuries are serious in and of themselves, Mahomes is very lucky that other structures in his knee were not injured. There are nerves, tendons, and other ligaments that can significantly complicate recovery and return-to-play timelines. He explained to the media that his doctors described the rest of his knee as “clean” following the surgery.

“What I got from my doctor that cleared it up for me was obviously I had the ACL and LCL, but everything else was clean,” Mahomes said. “As bad as it was, it was as clean as it could be. I found out there’s a lot of little things that can happen around that knee that I’ve never even known. So, I was lucky enough – God blessed me enough to not do some of things that could prolong the injury. So now it’s about rehabbing (and) getting the LCL and ACL right. Giving it time to rest, but at the same time building up that strength so that whenever I am ready to go, I’m ready to go.”

Rehab is going great for Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes so far

The early stages of the rehab process are all about healing, building strength, and restoring your knee’s range of motion to what it once was. Right now, Patrick Mahomes is going through a lot of brace-assisted exercises to achieve those goals.

“First off, rehab is going great so far,” Mahomes said. “You know, just hitting all the checkpoints that the doctor wants you to do, and getting the strength and the range of mobility back. So that’s been going great. Been doing all of it here in Kansas City so far. And (Chiefs athletic trainer) Julie (Frymyer) has been crushing it, pushing me. And the doctor kind of gives you like goals to get to, and I just try to maximize those, and they hold me back because I always want to go a little bit further. So it’s been going great.”

Frymyer herself has called Mahomes an impatient patient, so she knows exactly how to get him to dial things back while also knowing when to push him to go further. It’s a great dynamic that should lead to a successful rehab and recovery process.

Week 1 is the goal for Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, but he remains a realist about the situation

Every knee injury is different, and every rehab for these injuries presents its own unique challenges. Patrick Mahomes has a goal of being ready for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season, and doctors have told him it’s entirely possible. They’ve also seemingly prepared him for the likelihood that it might not be Week 1, as the injury recovery timeline ranges upward of nine months. He knows that he’s going to have to take things one day at a time.

“I mean, obviously, I think the long term, I mean, I want to be ready for Week 1,” Mahomes said. “The doctor said that I could be, but I can’t predict what’s going to happen throughout the process, but that’s my goal. And so I’ll try to prepare myself to be ready to play in that Week 1, and have no restrictions.”

As for his work during the 2026 NFL offseason, Mahomes hopes to do a little bit during the most important junctures, with OTAs, mandatory minicamp, and then training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri, in July.

“You know, you want to be out there healthy and giving us the best chance to win,” Mahomes said. “And so obviously, hopefully be able to do some stuff in OTAs, and then get to training camp, and hopefully be able to do a lot there. So I’m excited for the process. It’s a long process, but I’m excited for it.”

Kansas City Chiefs News

Kansas City Chiefs lose another coach to the college ranks — and fire a position coach who played for Andy Reid in Philadelphia

The Kansas City Chiefs more assistant coaching positions to fill after recent departures.

Charles Goldman