Patrick Mahomes Updates Injury Rehab, Return Timeline for Chiefs' Week 1 Game vs. Broncos

All eyes continue to be on Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes in his recovery from a torn ACL leading up to the start of the regular season.

Mahomes addressed the situation on Wednesday, saying on Yahoo Sports Daily (h/t Sean Leahy of Yahoo Sports) that his "goal" remains to be ready for Week 1 against the Denver Broncos and he is doing everything he can to achieve it:

"I've said that since the beginning is being ready to go Week 1. I can't predict the future and I know that it's a long process. It's not just my decision, but at the same time I'm going to give the doctors and the coaches every single opportunity I can to let me be out there Week 1.

"I don't want to miss that game [against the Broncos] because that's the team that won the division while we were gone and you want to be out there and ready to go with your teammates. I'll give every single thing I can to be out there Week 1 and hopefully the doctors and the coaches give me the green light and I'm able to go out there with my guys and compete against one of the best teams in the league."

Mahomes injured his knee in a Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers last season. He underwent surgery the following day, leading to speculation about when he will return to game action.

The Chiefs were initially careful not to put a timeline on Mahomes' recovery. Rick Burholder, their vice president of sports medicine and performance, said after his surgery that it could be anywhere from seven to 11 months.

More recently, though, the Chiefs have indicated Mahomes is making great progress. General manager Brett Veach told reporters in early May that the two-time NFL MVP is "way ahead of schedule."

Even though the NFL doesn't necessarily have direct access to Mahomes' medical records, the league certainly indicated its expectation that he will be back for the start of the regular season by scheduling the Chiefs to play the Broncos on Monday Night Football in Week 1.

The ACL was the first major injury Mahomes suffered since dislocating his knee in Week 7 during the 2019 season. He only missed two games as a result of that injury, returning to help the Chiefs win the Super Bowl.

Last season was the worst year for the Chiefs in the Mahomes era. They finished 6-11 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

If Mahomes misses time at the start of the regular season, Justin Fields will step in to run the Chiefs' offense. Their ceiling in 2026 will depend on how many games the three-time Super Bowl MVP is able to play.

We will start to get a better idea of where Mahomes' rehab and recovery stands on July 28 when all Chiefs players are scheduled to report to training camp.