Mahomes aims – Patrick Mahomes is already doing 7-on-7 work in Kansas City’s OTAs as he rehabs a torn ACL from December, with Andy Reid keeping him out of team drills until further medical clearance.
For Patrick Mahomes, the timing is measured in checkpoints, not calendar days.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback suffered a torn ACL in December. Yet in the middle of OTAs. he’s already working in 7-on-7 drills—something that can sound almost unreal when you remember how serious the injury was—and he’s framed his whole rehab around one concrete target: the chance to be on the field for Week 1 at Arrowhead.
“That’s always going to be the goal,” Mahomes said in a Thursday press conference. “I don’t want to miss games. I mean, as a competitor, as a football player, I want to be there. I know it’s still a long ways away. I can’t predict the future. So, all I can do is be great today and then continue to be great tomorrow. But I’ve gotten to where I’ve gotten to because of that mindset. The goal at the end — the very far end — is to be ready and to able to go out there and play with the guys Week 1 at Arrowhead. But I’ve got to take it day by day.”.
The goal is clear. The limits are equally clear.
Head coach Andy Reid said the Chiefs will keep Mahomes out of team drills until the quarterback receives further medical clearance. Reid also made sure to put the work in the spotlight, describing how Mahomes has pushed himself to get to this stage.
“I like what I’ve seen,” Reid said. “This is good for him, getting out there and throwing — it’s good rehab, continued rehab, so he keeps a feel with the receivers. He’s doing partial practice. But it’s important. It’s important to keep his timing up.
“He’s busted his tail to put himself in this position. Most guys wouldn’t be able to do this. But he’s put himself in that position. I know we’ve had good communication with the doctors, and they keep a close eye on it — what’s real and what’s not real. And then we listen to them.”
When Mahomes steps onto the field now, he wears a brace on his knee to help protect him. He said it isn’t entirely unfamiliar, because it’s something he previously wore in college.
“[I]t’s just kind of getting adjusted to it,” Mahomes said. “Obviously, I’m not running and cutting and doing all of that stuff in it yet. That’ll be another adjustment period at some point. But it’s good to get these reps now, so I can kind of speed that adjustment period along.”
The next steps are where the rehab becomes more than timing and touch. Mahomes said running and cutting consistently will come next, but only when he can protect himself—and when the team believes it’s safe.
“I’ve started that stuff,” Mahomes said. “But. until I’m able to protect myself and go out there and be there they’re going to keep me safe and not let me have the opportunity — as much as I want to be out there. But I think if I can continue to do the stuff the right way. that’s the hope. for me at least. All I can do is execute this next checkpoint of getting that cutting, being able to protect myself. … Then they’ll let me go out there and be a part of the team drills. And that’ll progress into games.”.
That’s where the tension sits for everyone watching: the work is happening, the reps are coming, but the leap from partial practice to full team participation still depends on medical clearance and what happens in the body—not what everyone hopes for.
Still, Mahomes said his progress is far enough along that Week 1 doesn’t feel out of reach, even if some people might not have expected it.
“Yeah. I mean. I wanted to play. ” Mahomes said when asked if he thought he’d be this far in his rehab at this point. “I don’t want to miss games as much as possible. I know it’s not in my control. It’s in God’s control at some point. But I’m going to give myself a chance by the way I work to be the best I can be.
“And so, I’m in a good spot now compared to where some people thought [I might be]. But I thought I was going to be here. So, it’s just doing what I’m supposed to be doing every single day. And hopefully, that gives me the chance to be out there with the guys whenever we start the season.”
Patrick Mahomes Kansas City Chiefs OTAs torn ACL Andy Reid Week 1 Arrowhead rehab knee brace 7-on-7