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Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes may be on track to return to the field sooner than expected.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach told SiriusXM Monday morning that Mahomes’ rehab is well ahead of schedule. The strong progress puts Mahomes in a position to potentially participate in parts of the team’s offseason workout program if his recovery continues without a setback.
“He’s way ahead of schedule,” Veach said. “I think the biggest challenge we’re going to have is to protect [Mahomes] against himself, because I’m sure that when we get to St. Joseph, Missouri, in training camp, he wants to be full speed.”
Mahomes is recovering from ACL and LCL tears in his left knee suffered last December in the Chiefs’ Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. While the typical recovery timeline is nine to 12 months, his current progress puts him on track to potentially return to training camp, if not sooner.
“It’s been really inspiring,” Veach said. “I’ve been there before with Pat when he got the dislocated knee and worked his tail off to come back in three weeks. I knew this bump in the road wasn’t going to slow him down at all.”
Even with Mahomes seemingly ahead of schedule, Veach focused on protecting him from himself throughout the rehab process. As much as getting him back on the field would provide a boost, the team remains focused on a cautious, long-term approach rather than rushing back.
“We’re going to have to hold him back a little bit,” Veach said. “I don’t want to put a timetable on it, but I think you know the type of person and competitor Pat is [Mahomes] is. I’ll just say we’re in a pretty good place right now.
While the organization remains committed to a cautious timeline, Mahomes’ rapid recovery quickly makes a return to training camp a realistic possibility. The focus is now less on the knee itself and more on managing his competitive drive to ensure he is fully fit before returning.
