Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes wants to be ready Week 1 of ‘26

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes revealed to reporters Thursday that doctors have told him it's possible he will be ready for Week 1 of next season after tearing two ligaments in his left knee.

"I want to be ready for Week 1," Mahomes said in his first comments since the injury. "The doctors said I could, but I can't predict what happens throughout the process. 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."

Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL late in a Dec. 14 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, which all but eliminated the Chiefs from playoff contention. Kansas City went on to finish 6-11, ending the season on a six-game losing streak, including three without Mahomes.

But Mahomes has reason to be optimistic about his injury recovery, given that the knee damage could have been worse.

"What I got from my doctor is obviously I had the ACL and the LCL, but everything else was clean," Mahomes said. "As bad as it was, it was as clean as it could be. There's a lot of little things that could happen around that knee that I didn't know. So now it's just about rehabbing and getting the ACL and the LCL right."

Mahomes underwent surgery in Dallas the day after his injury and began rehab four days later.

The three-time Super Bowl champion and two-time league MVP has stayed in Kansas City to do most of his rehab with the team's physical therapist.

"Knowing me, I'm going to push it to the exact limit every single day," Mahomes said. "There's places you can't go yet. You want to but you can't go yet. And they're doing it for a reason. It starts with Dr. (Dan) Cooper and his team, and (physical therapist) Julie (Frymyer) and the training room."

The 2026 season is expected to begin on Thursday, Sept. 10, with most teams playing Sunday, Sept. 13, giving Mahomes about nine months between the injury and the date he'd like to be back.

Mahomes, 30, finished the 2025 season with 3,587 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions along with a career-high 422 rushing yards and five scores in 14 games. The ligament tear is the first major injury of his NFL career.

--Field Level Media