Patrick Mahomes is the reason the Kansas City Chiefs became the most dominant team in the NFL. Since taking over as the starter in 2018, he has led the franchise to seven consecutive AFC Championship Games and five Super Bowl appearances, winning three of them.
That reality came into sharp focus last December. On the 14th of the month, during a home game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Mahomes took a hit in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter that caused his left knee to buckle. He was helped off the field and did not return.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid pre game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium. © Robert Deutsch, Robert Deutsch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
An MRI the following day confirmed a torn anterior cruciate ligament, along with a torn lateral collateral ligament. The Chiefs lost the game. They then lost eight of their last nine games overall, finishing the 2025 season at 6 wins and 11 losses, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014. The Mahomes era had, for one year at least, come to a grinding halt.
Patrick Mahomes’ Recovery Timeline Deemed Unrealistic
After his surgery, the Chiefs pencilled in for a return around the start of the 2026 regular season, which kicks off in September. However, not everyone is convinced that timeline is realistic. Medical experts point out that ACL recovery typically takes between nine and twelve months for elite athletes, and that the additional LCL damage in Mahomes’ case adds further complexity.
That scepticism found its loudest voice this week on the Craig Carton Show, where host Craig Carton dismissed the idea of Mahomes playing in September entirely.
“Patrick Mahomes is not playing football in September for the Kansas City Chiefs,” Carton said. “I know you’re a bunch of sheep. I know you’re not that bright, but when you tear an ACL, you don’t come back in six months. Patrick Mahomes is not going to be running plays for the Kansas City Chiefs in OTAs, period. Stop, dumbasses.”
The injury occurred in mid-December, meaning September represents roughly a nine-month turnaround, the very bottom end of what the medical community considers a standard recovery window.
Despite Carton’s strong skepticism, Chiefs head coach and the front office looks optimistic for Mahomes recovery and return to football.
Head Coach Andy Reid Still Optimistic About Patrick Mahomes’ Return
The Kansas City Chiefs organization and the head coach Andy Reid campaigns Mahomes’ return optimistically. Chiefs general manager Brett Veach indicated that Mahomes is recovering ahead of his schedule.
“He’s way ahead of schedule,”Veach said. “I think the biggest challenge that we’re going to have is protecting (Mahomes) against himself because I’m sure when we get to St. Joseph, Missouri, for training camp, he’s going to want to be a full-go.”
Head Coach Andy Reid also shared optimistic update on Mahomes’ recovery. “He is in a good position to be able to do some things,”said Reid to ESPN’s Nate Taylor. “If he can do some things, (he’ll do it). Phase 2 (of the offseason program), remember, there’s no contact and there’s no offense versus defense. It’s Phase 3 that you get into that. … He’s in a position where he can do everything, I think.”
At this moment, fans can only hope and wait to see if Patrick Mahomes really pulls off an early recovery to be available from September begins. For obvious reasons, fans have doubts which mirrors Craig Carton’s hilarious rant on Patrick Mahomes’ return to football.