Superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL late in the 2025 season, but Kansas City Chiefs fans should be happy with the latest injury update. ACL recoveries have come a long way in the past 15 or so years, and what used to be a year-long recovery process is now closer to eight or nine months. At the time of injury, this timeline gave Mahomes a decent shot of being ready for the start of the 2026 regular season, and a recent report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter states the quarterback is still planning on being ready for the start of the season.
During a recent appearance on ESPN, the NFL insider said the two-time MVP and three-time Super Bowl champion is “progressing” in his injury return and is “tracking” to be on the field when Kansas City kicks off its season.
“He’s already made great progress from that torn ACL injury,” Schefter said. “He certainly is tracking to be ready for the start of the regular season. That’s going to be his goal. He’s going to do everything he can to be back out there, and I think people believe that ultimately he will be, but there’s a long way to go between now and then.”
Patrick Mahomes Injury Update: Chiefs QB Expected to be Ready for Week 1
This is obviously fantastic news for the Chiefs, but fans shouldn’t count their eggs before they hatch. As Schefter points out, there is still a lot of time between now and the start of the regular season, but this is a good update nonetheless. Even if Mahomes isn’t completely 100% at the start of the season, he still gives this team the best chance of winning football games.
Fortunately, Kansas City invested in a premier backup in Justin Fields. Fields may not be a starting-caliber quarterback, but the former first-round pick might just be the best backup in football. His elite physical traits and running ability should make him a natural fit for Andy Reid’s offense, and he’s more than capable of keeping the offense afloat if he needs to start for the first week or two of the season. Nobody should expect him to suddenly look like an All-Pro, but he’ll be a dramatic upgrade on Chris Oladokun and Shane Buechele.