Patrick Mahomes is embarking on rehabilitation after knee surgery, with Kansas City Chiefs officials hopeful he can be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season. The team confirmed that the procedure, performed on Monday to repair two torn ligaments in his left knee, went smoothly. Chiefs vice-president of sports medicine and performance, Rick Burkholder, noted that return times for this kind of injury typically hover around nine months, though the exact timeline can shift by a few weeks or months depending on individual factors.
Looking ahead to next season, the tentative start is set for September 10, with the Chiefs potentially kicking off a few days later.
Burkholder emphasized the variability among players, sports, and positions: “Every player is different, every sport is different, every position is different. [Mahomes] is so in tune to what he does, he does it a little quicker. Ballpark on this is nine months, but it could be a month or two more, a month or two less.”
The Chiefs’ recent defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers ended their postseason hopes for 2024, marking the end of a run that included nine straight AFC West titles, seven straight conference championship appearances, and three consecutive Super Bowl berths. In the interim, backup Gardner Minshew will guide the team through the final three games beginning this Sunday.
Mahomes plans to return to Kansas City by Friday to continue his rehab under Burkholder’s staff. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid praised his quarterback’s mindset: “He’s incredibly positive. He attacked this the day it happened. You wouldn’t expect anything less. He said, ‘Get me up, get me going’—an hour after the game. ‘Brace me up and let me go.’ It’s not a trivial injury, but that’s his mindset. I expect he’ll make great progress in rehab; he’s a fast healer that way.”
Meanwhile in Miami, head coach Mike McDaniel opted to bench Tua Tagovailoa after a disappointing showing against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tagovailoa completed 65 passing yards, threw an interception, and absorbed two sacks that stalled drives through three quarters. With a league-leading 15 interceptions in 2025 and a notably negative expected points added per dropback,McDaniel decided to start seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers for Week 16’s showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals. Ewers played at Texas, where he accumulated 9,128 passing yards, 68 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions across 36 games.
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