We're still several months away from the sytart of the 2026 season, but the Kansas City Chiefs have to be feeling good about Patrick Mahomes' recovery process.
Mahomes suffered a season-ending torn ACL and LCL in December against the Los Angeles Chargers. Most athletes wait for the swelling to go down before undergoing surgery, but the future Hall of Famer was operated on by Dr. Dan Cooper just one day after the injury occurred. That may have been the best possible thing for Mahomes and the Chiefs.
FOX insider Jay Glazer appeared on "The Dan Patrick Show" this Thursday to discuss a handful of trending topics, which included Mahomes' injury situation.
Even though Mahomes is not even three months removed from undergoing surgery, it sounds like he's on track to return to the field before Week 1 of the 2026 season. Glazer said the three-time Super Bowl champion is attacking his rehab with a relentless mindset.
"His pain threshold is different, his work ethic is different. So at first they were like, ‘Oh, you know, start of the season.' I would probably hedge on him being [back] sooner than that. By far. Because he just attacks things," Glazer said, via Awful Announcing.
"He got (the surgery) before it swelled up. So that was on a Tuesday. I believe it was either Thursday or Friday that week, he was already in the Chiefs' training room doing rehab. And he had already got his knee bending at 90 degrees at that point. He's just different, he heals differently."
Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Mahomes might have a new supporting cast.
The Chiefs kicked off their offseason by agreeing to trade All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams for a package that includes the No. 29 overall pick in this year's draft.
While the Chiefs could reload on defense in the draft, it's being reported that general manager Brett Veach will target running back Kenneth Walker III in free agency. The reigning Super Bowl MVP would be an excellent addition to Andy Reid's offense.
It's also possible that Kansas City reunites Mahomes with veteran wideout Tyreek Hill. After all, he won't be returning to the Miami Dolphins.
We'll see if the Chiefs get super aggressive in free agency.
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