Rapoport: Mahomes seems ‘on track’ to play Week 1

Mahomes is well ahead of the normal ACL/LCL rehab timeline, as Breer notes, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the Chiefs remained cautious with Mahomes in training camp and didn’t necessarily throw him in 11-on-11 settings the second he was first cleared. Still, it does seem like Mahomes is in pretty good shape to start Week 1 from all early offseason indications. It’ll just be a matter of how quickly the Chiefs and Mahomes want to push it.

Running and cutting make up the next phase in Mahomes’ rehab program. The 30-year-old quarterback “would like to get a dress rehearsal run in preseason action, if he can.” Mahomes has participated in 7-on-7 drills, but has not yet progressed to 11-on-11 drills, nor has he been cleared for contact. These are the benchmarks. He seemingly has decent odds of clearing them in time for Week 1.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Mahomes is set to make $504.7 million between now and the 2033 season. Mahomes initially signed his record-setting, 10-year extension in 2020. It was worth $450 million at the time. Quarterback salaries have since skyrocketed, making Mahomes’ contract one of the most team-friendly deals for a high-end quarterback in the NFL. Before the extension, Mahomes was just the 13th-highest-paid quarterback in the league at $45 million per year. He will make $64 million per year, a new high-water mark for the league, starting next year. Schefter also noted that the first four years of the deal are fully guaranteed and contract mechanisms functionally guarantee the rest.

Yes, it’s only seven-on-seven drills, but for a player coming back from a late-season ACL tear who is hoping to be ready in time for Week 1, it’s a step in the right direction. The Chiefs remain optimistic that their QB1 will be ready to go at the start of the season, and Mahomes himself has said he’s hopeful he’ll be a full participant in training camp. With nearly two months to go until training camp begins, Mahomes has plenty of time left to continue his recovery before the real work begins. In the event he isn’t ready for Week 1, Justin Fields will likely start in his absence.

Mahomes acknowledges that it is “unclear” whether he will actually be ready to fully participate once training camp begins. His recovery timeline includes checkpoints that occur every one-to-two weeks. The next step is running, cutting and proving to the training staff “that he can protect himself.” Mahomes’ rehab seems to be going very well. He seemingly has a chance to be ready for Week 1.

ESPN’s Nate Taylor reports Mahomes, recovering from a late-season knee injury, participated “in some form and fashion ... during the Chiefs’ opening OTA practice.” The team released a video of Mahomes throwing a short pass while wearing an enormous brace on his injured left leg. Mahomes, entering his age-31 season, is in a race against the clock to be ready for Week 1 against the Broncos. If Mahomes can’t suit up for the season opener, Justin Fields would likely serve as KC’s starter.

This of course has to do with Rashee Rice failing a drug test and undergoing another knee procedure and missing up to two months. Rice this week violated his probation by testing positive for THC and will serve 30 days in jail. He’s slated to be out of jail by the middle of June. This is just the latest in a long time of off-the-field issues that have kept Rice away from the team. There’s also the matter of Rice’s health, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Tuesday that the KC wideout will be sidelined for upwards of two months after undergoing a clean-up procedure on his right knee. The Chiefs, Breer said, believed Rice can be a top-10 NFL receiver when healthy, but are skeptical as to whether they can trust Rice to stay out of legal trouble and stay healthy. Rice’s legal woes and injury history could force Kansas City to reconsider an offer for Brown, who is widely expected to be dealt by the Eagles after June 1. The Patriots and Jaguars have also been mentioned as potential suitors for Brown. “I don’t believe that happens,” Breer said of Brown landing in Kansas City. “But I think if you’re the Chiefs you have to take a look at all of these things going forward.”

It’s a matchup of two teams whose quarterbacks are recovering from injuries of varying degrees this offseason. Patrick Mahomes is working back from a December ACL injury while Bo Nix is recovering from a broken ankle sustained in the postseason. Mahomes’ opening day status remains uncertain, though Chiefs officials appear optimistic he will be ready to go for the start of the regular season. Where this Broncos-KC game will be played is another question. Like many Week 1 primetime games, it could be played outside the United States.

“Once you start the clock, then the clock’s got to be rolling,” Reid said Saturday. “You just have to evaluate what you want to do there. But he’s in a position where he can do everything, I think.” The timing (Week 15) and severity of Mahomes’ injury would typically have a player in real danger of missing the following season’s opener, but the regular rules have rarely applied to Mahomes. Reid’s quotes suggest this time will be no different. Mahomes will probably still begin training camp on the active/PUP list, but at this point we would probably put his odds of being ready for the opener greater than 50 percent.

Mahomes has a chance to return in time for Week 1 after suffering season-ending ACL and LCL tears last year. It sounds like the plan is to rely on the run game and the defense for the first half of the season, as Mahomes “is working back from that injury.” For those concerned that the Chiefs might stick with that game plan all year, Veach adds that he hopes by “mid-season [or] late season, Pat’s in that groove and we have this thing cooking.” We believe he’s saying that the Chiefs intend to increase their passing frequency as the season progresses and we will continue to monitor Mahomes’ offseason participation. For now, RB Kenneth Walker looks like a safe bet to handle a hefty workload this year.