Patrick Mahomes In Contention For Comeback Player Of The Year

In December of last season, the Kansas City Chiefs' future took a hit as superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn ACL. 

Time and time again, players struggle to recover from such an injury, and many wondered whether or not Mahomes would still be a threat when he returned from the injury. 

So far, Mahomes has answered that question with conviction, and he looks like a Pro Bowl player in the early part of the 2026 NFL season. 

The Chiefs began the season undefeated before hitting a bump in the road, but Mahomes has been playing well and keeping his team in games. 

As a result, he is in early contention for the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award, according to ESPN's Bill Barnwell. 

Mahomes was Barnwell's top choice, with San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner at No. 2 and 49ers tight end George Kittle at No. 3. 

Barnwell said the question about Mahomes rushing ability was answered at the start of the season. And, even though Mahomes won't be in the NFL MVP conversation, the best thing is this: "Mahomes looks like Patrick Mahomes," as Barnwell wrote. 

Going into the middle of November, Mahomes has thrown for 2.037 yards with 14 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He has a 101.8 QB rating, and he has a 67.3 completion percentage as the Chiefs are right behind the Denver Broncos for first place in the AFC West. 

Both Warner and Kittle deserve to be in the running for this award, but Mahomes is coming off a major injury and has been one of the best players in the NFL for quite some time. 

If he continues to play like this, and the Chiefs make the postseason, it likely won't be a close competition for the Comeback Player of the Year award. 

NFL.com began the season with Mahomes on top of the list for this award, and 17 of the last 25 winners have been quarterbacks, so everything points to the direction of the Chiefs' signal-caller, as long as he can continue playing well. 

The addition of star running back Kenneth Walker III has helped not only Mahomes, but the entire offense. Now, they also added Josh Downs in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts, and they really needed a new wide receiver after some injuries this season. 

So, Mahomes might want to make some room on his trophy case, although this will be the first-ever Comeback Player of the Year award, if he does win it.