Patrick Mahomes plans to be smart about avoiding unnecessary hits Monday night, but the Chiefs star says his major knee injury won't stop him from playing like himself against the Broncos.
Patrick Mahomes spent nine months working his way back from a torn ACL and LCL.
Now that the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback is finally ready to play again, don't expect him to suddenly change what made him a three-time Super Bowl champion and two-time NFL MVP in the first place.
Mahomes told reporters Thursday that he plans to be smart about protecting himself when the Chiefs host the Denver Broncos on Monday night. But he doesn't expect the knee injury to change his playing style once the game begins.
"I think it's going to be hard for me to not just be myself once I step on the field," Mahomes said, according to Arrowhead Pride.
Mahomes tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee against the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 14. He underwent surgery shortly afterward and spent the offseason rehabbing with the goal of returning for the beginning of the 2026 season.
The Chiefs took a cautious approach during the preseason, keeping Mahomes out of all three games while he continued his recovery.
That clearance has now arrived.
That caution has since given way to confidence in his Week 1 availability.
Head coach Andy Reid said earlier this week that Mahomes was likely to start against Denver as long as he didn't suffer a setback. Mahomes' comments Thursday made it clear that he isn't preparing to play like a quarterback worried about his surgically repaired knee.
Mahomes said he will try to avoid unnecessary contact, including some of the blocks he has been known to throw after handing off or pitching the football.
But there is a limit to how cautious he plans to be.
"I'm going to keep myself out of harm's way like I always will, not try to take big hits and stuff like that, but I'm a competitor," Mahomes said. "I signed up for this, and I'm going to go out there and play football."
That mentality showed up during training camp. Mahomes said that as soon as competitive situations developed in practice, his instincts took over.
The Chiefs will hope the same thing happens Monday.
Mahomes is coming off an unusual season by his standards. He completed 62.7% of his passes for 3,587 yards, 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 14 games before suffering the knee injury. Kansas City ultimately missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
His return gives the Chiefs an opportunity to immediately begin putting that disappointing season behind them.
And Mahomes doesn't intend to do it cautiously.
"It was a long process," Mahomes said. "But we're here now, and now I get to go out there and be myself."
