Patrick

Mahomes

Kelce has reportedly been in touch with Andy Reid and the Chiefs in recent weeks after the Chiefs inexplicably missed the postseason. Kelce, 36, has mulled retirement in each of the past three offseasons and seems more serious about the prospect of hanging it up following the disappointment of 2025. “We are prepared for either scenario,” Veach said Tuesday. Kelce caught 76 passes for 851 yards and five touchdowns in 2025. Only five tight ends had more receptions than Kelce and a mere three tight ends had more receiving yards. Kelce ranked 22nd in tight end yards per route run and 14th in yards after the catch per reception.

Per Reid, Mahomes is spending seven hours per day with Chiefs assistant athletic trainer and physical therapist Julie Frymyer. Reid notes that although rehab following a significant knee injury is “not going to be a pleasant thing,” Mahomes keeps showing up and Frymyer continues to challenge him and keeps him “on task.” The positive reports continue to trickle in for the veteran quarterback, who has a chance to be ready for Week 1.

This marks the fourth straight offseason in which the Chiefs have redone Mahomes’ mega-contract to create some cap breathing room. This most recent restructure will have Mahomes’ cap hit go from $78.2 million to $34.65 million for the 2026 season. Mahomes’ cap number for the 2027 season will now be over $85 million, according to Over The Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald. Mahomes, entering his age-31 season, is hoping to be ready for Week 1 after suffering a late-season knee injury.

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.