Patrick Mahomes hit with concerning injury update as Andy Reid lifts lid on Chiefs QB’s recovery

There is a big question looming over the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of the 2026 NFL season.

It pertains to the health of their star and one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Patrick Mahomes.

Getty

Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL in his left knee in last season’s Week 14 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, ending his season early.

Kansas City would go on to finish with a 6-11 record, their worst in the Mahomes era, and miss the playoffs entirely.

The Chiefs will want their star quarterback under center in their Week 1 matchup against the Denver Broncos, and Mahomes has insisted he will be ready.

The 30-year-old posted a video of himself dropping back and throwing as a warning to the rest of the league, but one former NFL doctor doesn’t think his return will be as straightforward as he’s making it look.

David J. Chao, a former NFL physician who analyzes sports injuries under the handle ProFootballDoc on X, gave an update on Mahomes’ status.

“There is no way for him to be 100-percent healthy for the start of next season,” he said. 

“No one is doubting him. But the fact is, when you tear the LCL and ACL, have the LCL repaired and the ACL reconstructed, this is a much higher bar than a simple ACL reconstruction.

“Can he play from the pocket? Sure. But it might be 2027 before Patrick Mahomes is fully mobile like he was before.”

A typical recovery timeline for both a torn ACL and LCL is between nine months and a year.

The Chiefs’ September 14 season opener against the Broncos on Monday Night Football would put Mahomes at exactly the nine-month mark.

Getty

Getty

Mahomes was recently seen taking a tee shot at his 15 and the Mahomies Vegas Golf Classic on Friday.

The fact that he is up and moving and can play golf is certainly a positive sign for his attempts to start getting on the practice field ahead of training camp.

Andy Reid gives glowing Mahomes injury report

Andy Reid, the legendary Chiefs coach, had a glowing review of his star quarterback’s recovery progress.

Reid told NFL Media’s ‘The Insiders’ that Mahomes was “doing great right now,” and “hadn’t missed a day of rehab.”

However, he did not commit to Mahomes being ready to take the field with his teammates for the season opener.

Getty

“Everybody’s different right? So let’s just take it day by day,” Reid added.

Kansas City added Justin Fields this offseason to serve as Mahomes back-up, but also as an insurance policy just in case Mahomes isn’t available to start the season.

Fields was traded to Kansas City by the New York Jets following Gang Green’s dismal 2025 campaign.

Mahomes has the Week 1 game against the Broncos as his goal, and he’ll no doubt be doing everything he can to get right so he can take the field.

Stay up to date with the NFL across all our talkSPORT platforms – subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest news, opinion, exclusive interviews and our daily unfiltered, unscripted show ‘The S* Word, from 8am ET