Can Patrick Mahomes make it back on time for the season opener? Just last month, his participation in the Kansas City Chiefs’ OTAs kept him limited to non-contact drills, even if his arm looked as sharp as ever. Pat McAfee’s footnote live from Travis Kelce’s wedding that Mahomes was right in the thick of the dance floor was reassuring at first. But going by Mahomes’ own assessment, it’s going to be “a long process.”

“That’s my goal. I’ve said that since the beginning, just being ready to go week one,” Mahomes said. “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 they can to let me be out there Week 1, and I don’t want to miss that game, because the team that won the division while we’re gone, and you want to be out there and ready to go with your teammates.

So, 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.”

When Mahomes went down against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15, the Chiefs didn’t waste any time getting him into surgery on December 15 to repair his torn ACL and LCL. While a double-ligament tear normally demands a standard nine-month rehab timeline, recovery is rarely linear. That is why the Chiefs’ organization has been fiercely protective of his recovery schedule, allowing Andy Reid and the medical team to pace Mahomes’ return with caution.

During the team’s Organized Team Activities, he took part in individual positional drills, walkthroughs, and offensive installation periods. Mahomes successfully participated in competitive, non-contact 7-on-7 passing periods. He even threw multiple touchdown passes to rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy while wearing a heavy protective knee brace.

As a strict precaution, Mahomes was completely held out of full-team 11-on-11 scrimmages to avoid any risk of contact or pocket congestion. During that time, Andy Reid has continued to evaluate his quarterback’s progress on a day-to-day basis. 

“I don’t put anything past him… People say, ‘Is he ahead of schedule?’ and I’m like, who made the schedule?” Andy Reid told the media after the 28th May OTA session. “Everybody’s different… He and [Assistant Athletic Trainer] Julie [Frymyer] have spent a ton of time working together, and she’s tough on him now, man. She puts him through the ropes… Half the battle is trusting the person doing the rehab with you, and then showing up the next day. It doesn’t necessarily feel good, but if you keep coming, it works out okay.”

Even Mahomes’ doctors and independent Sports medicine physician Dr. Jesse Morse came up with the same timelines for his recovery, which targets mid-September as the benchmark for a full, unrestricted return. Dr. Morse also noted that Mahomes would look like himself on the practice field by July or August 2026, which has correlated perfectly with Mahomes’ recent OTA preparation. 

However, Morse cautioned that while this is an optimistic projection, it is also highly dependent on the success of the surgery, progress in rehab, and the knee’s response to football-specific movement. All things considered, if Mahomes does defy the odds and suit up by mid-September, it will be a battle for division dominance. 

The Kansas City Chiefs have won the AFC West crown for nine straight years. But last season, the Broncos took advantage of Mahomes’ absence, clinching their first AFC West division title since 2015 and officially snapping the Chiefs’ dominant reign over the division. For Kansas City, watching their rivals hoist the crown is a bitter pill to swallow.