When Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes went down with an ACL injury last December, the quarterback seemed likely to miss time early next season. While a quick ACL recovery wasn't necessarily unprecedented, it was rare.
With a few weeks to go before the start of the 2026 NFL regular season, Mahomes said he feels "great" and is still hopeful he'll be able to start in Week 1.
Mahomes said he was initially told it would take nine months to recover from his injury. The quarterback underwent surgery Dec. 16, making Sept. 16 exactly nine months since his surgery. The Chiefs are slated to take on the Denver Broncos in Week 1 on Sept. 14, two days before the actual nine-month mark.
That's an aggressive timeline, but one Mahomes said he was always planning to hit.
"This has always been the plan. From the day I got the surgery, as quick as I did, to hopefully the first game of the year, the plan will go accordingly, and I'll be able to go out there and be myself."
While that's an encouraging update — as is the fact that Mahomes has been able to take part in team practices — the star quarterback has yet to be cleared to play in games just yet. If that doesn't happen by Friday, Mahomes would miss the entire NFL preseason for the first time in his career.
Even in that case, Mahomes would still have two more weeks to be cleared by team doctors.
If Mahomes is unable to go in Week 1, the Chiefs would likely turn to offseason acquisition Justin Fields for that game. That would represent a pretty steep downgrade for Kansas City to kick off the 2026 regular season.
But in that event, it doesn't sound like the team will need to rely on Fields for long. Mahomes apparently has been able to hit the most optimistic deadlines during his recovery, and should be able to take the field fairly early in the regular season.
As long as he still looks like the Mahomes of old, the Chiefs will have a shot to bounce back and return to contention.
