Patrick Mahomes‘ 2025 season ended the worst way possible on the ground in Kansas City, rolling to his right against the Los Angeles Chargers with under two minutes left when defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand rolled up on his left knee. With his ACL injury, their decade-long playoff streak was over.
In 14 games during the 2025 season, Mahomes completed 315 of 502 passes for 3,587 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. All these numbers are career-low marks for the three-time Super Bowl champion.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid pre game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium.
It ended his year and those stats had led to a debate about whether the 30-year-old quarterback was declining, creating real doubt about his future.
Patrick Mahomes’ ability to come back as the same player questioned after injury
Recovery from ACL surgery typically takes 9 months, which would put Mahomes at a Week 2 or Week 3 return date. Chiefs VP of sports medicine Rick Burkholder acknowledged the timeline could shift by a month or two in either direction, noting that “every player is different, every position is different.”
Head coach Andy Reid has been deliberately keeping Mahomes out of 11-on-11 periods during minicamp to protect against unplanned contact during the most delicate phase of his combined ACL and LCL recovery.
The physical recovery is one thing. What’s driving the broader debate is whether Mahomes can return as the same type of player. The UK NFL podcast Across The Pod highlighted this question in a recent episode. During the show’s annual “Start, Bench, Cut” segment covering every starting quarterback in the league, guest Oliver Kent raised the issue plainly.
“I do start to wonder about Mahomes, in terms of a lot of his best play is the improvisational stuff — the off-the-cuff stuff,” Kent said. “With an injury and getting older as well, is he going to start losing that ability? Does he really have to change his style of playing, become more of a pocket passer kind of guy?”
“You sort of say, do they get another shot?”
In our annual episode of ‘Start, Bench, Cut’ with every starting quarterback in the NFL, guest @Oliver_Kent98 questions whether Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will come back as the same player…#NFL #Podcast #NFLUK pic.twitter.com/S0FVbtlLi6
— Across The Pod (@across_thepod) June 21, 2026
It is a fair question. Mahomes’ value comes from his play outside the pocket – the sidearm throws, scrambling out of broken plays, and extending downs to find open receivers. That specific movement puts intense lateral stress on a reconstructed knee.
Kent also pointed out the bigger issues in Kansas City. Travis Kelce returned for his 14th season, but the rest of the roster has thinned out. Rashee Rice faces a league suspension.
Meanwhile, the AFC West has become tougher, with Denver Broncos improving and the Chargers remaining a threat. Even if Mahomes returns healthy in 2026, the Chiefs’ championship window looks narrower than ever.
Kent ultimately decided to “start” Mahomes, noting he earned it “just for his record and what he has done, what we know he can do.” But that justification shows a clear shift. A year ago, nobody hesitated to back Mahomes. Now, they do.
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