Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs reacts after throwing a pass for a touchdown in the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024
The Kansas City Chiefs have shared optimism that Patrick Mahomes will be fully recovered from a season-ending knee injury and ready to take the field for the season opener.
Other insiders around the league aren’t so sure that will happen.
While both Mahomes and some top Chiefs coaches have given glowing updates on his rehab from the injury, there is no clear timeline yet for his return and a league executive told The Athletic’s Mike Sando that the team may be working on its contingency plan for the first few weeks of the season.
Patrick Mahomes Could Miss Several Weeks
In an article published on April 2, Sando cited a league executive who said the Chiefs are likely prepared for backup Justin Fields to start the season. The executive added that the team could use the early weeks of the season to get new running back Kenneth Walker III involved in both the running and passing games.
“I think it points to, ‘OK, let’s survive the early part of the season,’ ” the executive said of the team’s decision to trade for Fields. “I bet they just run the tread off Justin. It will be a lot of RPO. And they maybe get Walker involved in the passing game so that he can continue to be a two-phase player when Mahomes comes back.”
Other league insiders believe the Chiefs have adjusted their offense to give Mahomes more long-term preservation, adding a strong rushing component that will help alleviate the pressure he faces.
“If Mahomes keeps on going up against five- and six-man boxes, he can only do so much,” another exec said. “They need that run threat.”