Patrick Mahomes was spotted at the Big 12 tournament, but fans are concerned that the Chiefs' star quarterback might not be ready for the start of the NFL season
05:24 ET, 12 Mar 2026
Patrick Mahomes
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Patrick Mahomes made an appearance at the Big 12 Tournament(Image: Getty)
Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes was recently spotted walking with a noticeable limp, raising concerns he might not be fit for the start of the NFL season.
Mahomes suffered an ACL injury in a 16-13 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers on December 14. A day later, he underwent surgery to repair both the ACL and LCL in his left knee.
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Recovery from the injury is around nine months, with the start of the 2026 NFL season marking just under the nine-month mark; however, the Chiefs are hopeful the quarterback will return in time. Meanwhile, controversial Chiefs star Harrison Butker is no longer the highest-paid kicker in the league after a huge new deal.
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Mahomes was spotted courtside at the Big 12 tournament, where BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa scored a tournament record 40 points in the win against West Virginia.
Mahomes, a former Texas Tech standout, attended the tournament to show his support for his old school. Mahomes played for Texas Tech from 2014 to 2016 before being selected by the Chiefs in the 2017 NFL Draft.
A video of Mahomes arriving at the court has been circulating on social media. In the clip, the 30-year-old is spotted walking without a knee brace but with a noticeable limp, which left fans questioning if he will be fit for the season starting in September.
One X user said: "Yeah he ain’t playing this season. Either that or he coming on late."
"Those reports about him being ready before the season starts are false," another user added when fans were asked what they noticed.
The day before Mahomes' appearance at Big 12, Sports Illustrated reporter Alan Breer told the Rich Eisen show that the Chiefs were hopeful he would be ready in time.
“I think they certainly are very, very hopeful. I hesitate to use [the word] ‘expecting,’ I don’t wanna put a timeline on a player without getting his OK," said Breer. “But I think they’re very, very hopeful that he’ll be good to go and close to being himself by Week 1. So that’s good news.”
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FOX Sports reporter Jeff Glazer said the two-time MVP is built differently. "The initial reports were on the fringe (of a return for Week 1)," Glazer told the Dan Patrick Show this week. "But I want to tell you -- He's different. Patrick is different.
"So he went down, he immediately got the surgery. Flew himself down (to Dallas), I think he flew private down there. Got the surgery the next day, which normally they don't do, because of the swelling.
"That was on (December 15). I believe it was either Thursday or Friday that week, he was already in the Chief's training room doing rehab and he already had gotten his knee bending at 90 degrees at that point."
Mahomes’ return is vital to the Chiefs as they look to rebound from their first losing season since the 2–14 campaign in 2012, the final year before Andy Reid became head coach.
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Meanwhile, Gardner Minshew, who served as the team’s backup last season, departed in free agency after signing an $8 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals. His exit leaves Kansas City in a vulnerable spot at quarterback if Mahomes is not fully healthy by Week 1.