Patrick

Mahomes

Mahomes said that his rehab is going “great” so far. He is “hitting all the checkpoints” in terms of regaining “strength” and “range of mobility.” He said he should be able to do “some stuff” during organized team activities and hopes to do “a lot” in training camp. Overall, this is a positive first update from Mahomes as he returns from ACL and LCL tears in his knee.

The Chiefs said Mahomes, who went down in Week 15’s loss to the Chargers, underwent surgery on Monday to repair the LCL part of his ACL/LCL ligament and immediately started his rehab. Mahomes has a shot to be under center for Kansas City to start the 2026 season, though it will be a close call considering he suffered the ACL injury in mid-December. ESPN’s Adam Schefter has said “it will be a surprise” if Mahomes is not ready for Week 1 in 2026.

Schefter cites the speed with which Mahomes got his torn ACL and LCL repaired — Monday, the day after it happened — as a major reason behind this. He also notes the timeline of nine months would put Mahomes in line to play in Week 2. “You know he’s going to have the absolute finest resources, care, attention, to bring him along,” Schefter continues. “He’s already set in to motion the chain of events that will bring him back sooner.” We wouldn’t be surprised if Mahomes is playing that early — see how quickly Joe Burrow came back this year from his turf toe against the initial diagnosis — but we also wouldn’t be surprised if Mahomes wasn’t quite the same player from the jump, especially as a scrambler, while he re-acclimates to what he can trust with his surgically-repaired knee.

Reports surfaced earlier Monday that Mahomes was seeking a second opinion before the surgery was performed. That was evidently accomplished in short order considering the team announced Monday evening that the franchise quarterback underwent successful surgery on the torn ACL Monday evening. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Mahomes also tore his LCL, although that does not necessarily influence the expected recovery timeline. Preseason and camp are almost entirely out of the question for the star quarterback, although he appears likely to push to avoid the Physically Unable to Perform list to start the 2026 regular season.

We are not injury experts here at Rotoworld, so we don’t have much to offer regarding what this second opinion could mean for Mahomes. The Chiefs’ star quarterback was confirmed to have suffered a torn ACL in Week 15’s loss to the Chargers and is expected to miss the rest of the season. Gardner Minshew, who has backed up Mahomes all season, is expected to draw the start as the now-eliminated Chiefs look to finish out the final three games of their 2025 schedule.

Brutal. Gardner Minshew will start for the rest of the season with the Chiefs eliminated from playoff contention. Mahomes completed 315-of-502 passes for 3,587 yards, 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, rushing 64 times for 422 yards and four touchdowns this season. He had stretches where he looked like he was putting a great fantasy season together, but it continued to be up-and-down in Kansas City. Players typically start with “prehab” before undergoing ACL reconstruction, at which point, a recovery window lasting nine-plus months begins. Per the Chiefs, Mahomes “and the club are currently exploring surgical options.” Stay tuned.

Reid acknowledged to reporters that Mahomes’ late-game knee injury against the Chargers “didn’t look good.” Mahomes was down on the turf for a couple minutes before being helped to the KC locker room. He was seen not putting any weight on his injured knee on his way to the locker room. The Chiefs being eliminated from postseason contention with their Week 15 loss to the Chargers likely means we won’t see Mahomes, 30, under center again in 2025. Gardner Minshew will start for the Chiefs if Mahomes is out. He could face a lengthy recovery depending on the seriousness of the knee injury. Minshew can be added in superflex formats ahead of KC’s Week 16 game against the Titans.

Mahomes clearly wasn’t 100 percent coming into the game with a left knee issue that cost him recent practice time. In the final minutes of the game against the Chargers, with the Chiefs looking to tie the game with a field goal, Mahomes stepped awkwardly while being tackled from behind. He appeared to hyperextend his left knee and was down on the ground surrounded by trainers for a couple minutes before hobbling to the sideline. Mahomes had 189 yards and an interception in another underwhelming performance before suffering the knee injury. Gardner Minshew is at quarterback while Mahomes gets evaluated in the locker room. Kansas City’s 2025 season is effectively over.

Mahomes picked up the knee injury late in the Chiefs’ Week 14 loss to the Texans. The good news is that a full practice means he is good to go for Week 15. The bad news is that every game is now a must-win spot for Kansas City. The Chiefs will need some outside help, even if they run the table through the end of the season. Mahomes tends to run more when things get dire, but the knee issue could limit his mobility. He will shuffle into the middle of the QB1 ranks versus LA.

This will be one to forget for Mahomes and the Chiefs as multiple aspects of their game plan came crashing down in a must-win game. The loss drops the Chiefs to 6-7 and advanced odds now give them a measly 16 percent chance to make the postseason. Minutes after C.J. Stroud set the benchmark for consecutive incompletions this season with nine, Mahomes followed it up with 10 straight passes without a completion in the second half. Two of those were key interceptions while both Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce were charged with two drops during the streak. The 10 straight incompletions were also a career-worst for Mahomes, it was only the third time in his career where the Chiefs were shutout in a half, and it was only the fourth game in his career with three or more interceptions. The Chiefs must quickly lick their wounds ahead of a showdown with the Chargers in Week 15.