Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has begun rehab following surgery to repair two torn ligaments in his left knee, and the team is optimistic the two-time MVP could be back early next season — perhaps even by the time Kansas City plays Week 1.
Rick Burkholder, their vice president of sports medicine and performance, said Wednesday the procedure performed in Dallas by Dr. Dan Cooper on Monday night went well. The operation happened about 24 hours after Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL in a loss to the Chargers.
The recovery time for such an injury is about nine months, though it could vary by several months depending on various factors. Next season is expected to kick off on September 10, 2026, and the Chiefs could play their first game a few days later.
“Every player is different. Every sport is different. Every position is different,” Burkholder said. “[Mahomes] is so in tune to what he does, he does it a bit of faster. Ballpark on that is 9 months, but it surely may very well be a month or two extra, a month or two much less.”
The loss to the Chargers eradicated the Chiefs from postseason rivalry, ending that streak at a decade. They’d additionally received the previous 9 AFC West titles, reached the earlier seven convention championship video games and performed prior to now three Tremendous Bowls.
Now, backup Gardner Minshew will quarterback them by means of the ultimate three video games starting Sunday at Tennessee.
“Fast turnaround from a really emotional recreation, and clearly the state of affairs with Pat, the state of affairs with our crew’s playoff image,” he mentioned. “However you realize what? You’re the place you are at. We’ve got to show this round and get a win this weekend.”
The Chiefs may very well be lacking a number of huge names past their star quarterback.
Rashee Rice and fellow vast receiver Tyquan Thornton are within the concussion protocol after taking vicious hits within the recreation in opposition to Los Angeles, whereas left sort out Jaylon Moore stays out with a knee harm and proper sort out Jawaan Taylor is out with an elbow problem.
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On protection, cornerback Trent McDuffie continues to be coping with a knee harm and linebacker Leo Chenal with a shoulder downside.
None of these gamers practiced Wednesday.
“We’ll see how they roll timewise for the sport,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid mentioned.
As for Mahomes, he plans to return to Kansas Metropolis by Friday, the place he’ll proceed rehabbing with Burkholder’s workers. Main the trouble will probably be Julie Frymyer, his assistant coach and high bodily therapist, whose identify made headlines in the course of the 2022-23 playoffs for her function in serving to Mahomes overcome a extreme high-ankle sprain with out having to overlook a recreation.
Frymyer was even featured alongside Mahomes not too long ago in a State Farm insurance coverage industrial.
“I feel you guys know, as a participant, his mindset is a bit of completely different than most,” Burkholder mentioned. “He is so regimented in what he does. He is in right here at 6 a.m. He is the final man out at evening. He’ll take the rehab like that. While you add up all of the little issues, that enables the participant to get again sooner. They do not heal up sooner, they only get again to efficiency sooner.”
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Reid mentioned he is spoken day by day with Mahomes for the reason that harm within the closing minutes of Sunday’s recreation.
“He is so optimistic proper now,” Reid mentioned. “Like Rick mentioned, he attacked this factor the day of. You would not count on something much less. ‘Get me up, get me going,’ he is mainly saying, an hour after the sport. ‘Brace me up and let me go.’ It isn’t a type of accidents, clearly, however that is his mindset. I feel he’ll do nice with the rehab. He is a reasonably quick healer that means. And his angle is 90% of issues, the way you go about it. The way you’re prepared to push by means of the ache to get proper.”
Minshew acknowledged a wierd feeling strolling by means of the crew facility with out Mahomes this week. However the two QBs have been in contact, and the veteran of 46 begins throughout seven NFL seasons is trying ahead to Mahomes’ enter the remainder of the way in which.
“He is been nice, man. Quickly as he is been figuring issues out, he is been texting the QB room,” Minshew mentioned. “Very optimistic. Attempting to get us fired up. That dude nonetheless desires us to win. That is what he cares about.”
Reporting by The Related Press.
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