The Kansas City Chiefs are still uncertain about when quarterback Patrick Mahomes will return after suffering ACL and LCL injuries in his left knee on Dec. 14. Speaking with NFL senior national columnist Judy Battista on Saturday at the annual league meeting in Phoenix, head coach Andy Reid acknowledged Patrick Mahomes’ steady progress but stopped short of giving a firm timeline for the two-time MVP’s return.

“He’s doing great,” Andy Reid told Judy Battista. “He spends a ton of time in the building… He’s in there for seven hours a day. It’s showing the progress. Now, to tell you a timeline? I mean, I know what he’s striving for. We’ll see where it goes from there.”

Patrick Mahomes went down with a knee injury against the Los Angeles Chargers in the dying moments of a 16-13 defeat. The Chiefs quarterback rushed toward his right before being chased by defensive end Da’Shawn Hand. After the contact, Mahomes saw his left knee buckle before planting his left foot, which led to an incompletion.

Then, X-rays after the game revealed Mahomes had torn his ACL and LCL, finishing a difficult year with 22 touchdowns against 11 interceptions in 14 games for the Chiefs. With the focus immediately shifting to the 2026 season, Mahomes, after his surgery, shared his attempt to return for Week 1 of the new league year.

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“The doctors said I could, but I can’t predict what happens throughout the process,” Mahomes said. “That’s the goal, to play Week 1 and have no restrictions. You want to be out there healthy and give us the best chance to win. I hope to do some things in OTAs and training camp and be able to do things there.”

Although Andy Reid raised uncertainty about Mahomes’ return timeline, the Chiefs’ head coach has been clear about how his QB1 has been working hard to reach 100% fitness ahead of the new season. Reid further delved into his work alongside Julie Frymyer, one of the Chiefs’ top athletic trainers.

“He’s around here all the time,” coach Andy Reid said last month of Mahomes. “He spends a ton of time here, seven hours a day. He’s in there cranking away and making progress every day. It’s great to see. Julie grinds on him, keeps him on task, and challenges him. He keeps showing up. That’s about half the battle on these things when you have these injuries.”

With doubt about Patrick Mahomes’s return to the gridiron, the Chiefs’ front office recently completed a significant move to bolster its quarterback room, which, according to Andy Reid, can lead to big wins in Showtime’s absence.

Andy Reid has big hopes for Patrick Mahomes’ new backup

After Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs had to settle for backup signal-callers like Gardner Minshew and Chris Oladokun to finish the last season, which didn’t work out well for the franchise. Minshew saw the end of his season with a non-displaced tibial plateau fracture in his left knee in Week 16. Hence, it was Oladokun who took Kansas City over the finish line, with the franchise taking third place in the AFC West.

To avoid such a situation in 2026, the Kansas City front office completed a big trade for former New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields for a package involving a 2027 sixth-round pick. Reacting to this move, Reid expressed optimism about his new signal-caller, despite Fields’ disappointing season with 1,259 yards, 7 TDs, and one INT, adding four rushing scores.

“Well, we snuck out and got a good quarterback to back him up,” Reid said when asked if the team’s offseason planning has been for Mahomes to be ready Week 1. “So, if he doesn’t, you know, if he’s not able to make it for the beginning of the season, then we know we’ve got a legitimate backup there that can go win games for us.”

With a cloud of doubt looming over Patrick Mahomes’ return for Week One of the season, legendary head coach Andy Reid will hope to maximize backup Justin Fields’ talents and give the Chiefs the perfect start to push for a Super Bowl.