As a grueling ACL recovery looms, experts warn the Chiefs' superstar remains years from peak mobility despite showing promising signs on the golf course ahead of training camp.
The good news? Texas Tech icon and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is slowly making his way back from a torn ACL that ended his 2025 season early.
The less-than-good news? With Mahomes slowly ticking off the boxes in his recovery, the Week 1 clash against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football looms large for the Super Bowl winner. ...
And if he plays? According to one expert, Mahomes won't be 100 percent healthy for that opener.
“There is no way for him to be 100-percent healthy for the start of next season,” "Pro Football Doc'' Dr. David Chao says. “No one is doubting him. But the fact is, when you tear the LCL and ACL, have the LCL repaired and the ACL reconstructed, this is a much higher bar than a simple ACL reconstruction.
"Can he play from the pocket? Sure. But it might be 2027 before Patrick Mahomes is fully mobile like he was before.”
We haven't seen Mahomes practice fully yet, which will happen in the coming months as training camp approaches.
However, we have already seen him tentatively take drop-backs and throw, as videos made the rounds on social media weeks ago, so that is a clear sign that Patrick is progressing well.
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For now? Mahomes was seen taking his tee shot at his 15 and the Mahomies Vegas Golf Classic on Friday, and in truth, he looked fine.
Now, what does that have to do with his knee? Not much, aside from the gentle twisting during his tee shot.
But the fact that he is up and moving in such a way that he can play golf is certainly a good sign for Patrick's attempts to start getting on the practice field ahead of training camp.
Because if he is to play against Denver, he's going to need to be as close to 100 percent as possible, especially against that defense. Going against the unit when you are fully healthy is a nightmare, not to mention if you can't move around the way you're used to, like Mahomes.
But we are a long way from that, and the Chiefs will be cautious with Patrick because the last thing the franchise will want is for him to come back a shell of himself.
We have even heard the likes of Robert Griffin III state that Mahomes should take the entire 2026 season off to get his knee right, and if there's one player who knows a lot about knee injuries, it's Robert.
But we know Mahomes has the Week 1 game as his goal, and he'll be doing everything he can to prove his health so he can take the field.
And playing golf feels like a good sign that he's on track to make it happen. ... even with the cautionary note from the Doc.
