Dec. 14, 2025, was a terrible day in Chiefs Kingdom.
Kansas City Chiefs three-time Super Bowl MVP and two-time NFL MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL while attempting to lead a comeback drive against the Los Angeles Chargers with two minutes left in the game.
Shellshocked, the Chiefs’ two-minute drill fell apart, Gardner Minshew threw an interception, and the 6-8 Chiefs were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 2014.
At the NFL’s annual league meeting on Tuesday morning, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid sounded optimistic for better days ahead when asked about Mahomes’ injury recovery.
“Every player is different,” Reid said. “I will tell you, though, I would never bet against him. He’s always gonna put in the time and effort and always push it, but within reason, so he doesn’t take steps back. So far, it’s all been positive.”
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Reid also said it was “tough” to determine whether Mahomes could be considered “ahead of schedule” on his rehab because “Who makes the schedule?”
Last week, Mahomes posted a video showing him dropping back to pass exactly 100 days out from his knee surgery. “Day by Day!” Mahomes wrote. “Great being able to throw the ball around today! [Bullseye emoji, clock emoji].”
According to ESPN’s Nate Taylor, “The Chiefs are optimistic that Mahomes is on track to participate - even in a limited capacity - in the team’s voluntary offseason practices, which are expected to start in May.”
“The doctors said I could, but I can’t predict what happens throughout the process,” Mahomes told reporters in January. “That’s the goal, to play Week 1 and have no restrictions. You want to be out there healthy and give us the best chance to win. I hope to do some things in OTAs and training camp and be able to do things there.”
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