Patrick Mahomes’ recovery from the 2025 season-ending injury has been the topic of discussion this offseason. But HC Andy Reid’s recent update has raised concerns about the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback’s return. With questions growing over how long Mahomes could remain sidelined, the star QB has now offered an update.

“I’m trying to push it & get myself ready to play… I forget about [the knee] sometimes. You’re trying to compete & I want to win the rep,” said Mahomes.

The severity of Patrick Mahomes’ injury had many doubting his timely return for the 2026 season. After all, he completely tore both the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and the Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) in his left knee during a Week 15 game against the LA Chargers on December 14, 2025.

Just a day after the injury, the Kansas City Chiefs QB underwent surgery and immediately entered a grueling rehab. In January 2026, Mahomes spoke publicly, stating rehab was “going great” and he was targeting a restriction-free Week 1 return.

Five months post-surgery, Mahomes took part in the Chiefs’ first voluntary offseason workouts in May. He then followed it up by attending OTAs and mandatory minicamps, which boosted his confidence as the preseason games approached.

“I’m a competitor, so [on] game day, I’m going to want to be out there,” Mahomes said two weeks ago about the preseason. “But I understand the process of getting myself ready to play in the regular season is more important. We’ll see. The coaches and doctors will make that decision for me, but I’ll prepare myself like I’m going to play.”

On July 24, Chiefs HC Andy Reid officially announced that Patrick Mahomes is fully cleared for training camp with no medical restrictions. And as things stand, the 3x Super Bowl-winning QB is currently taking 11-on-11 reps while wearing a protective knee brace.

While the doctors gave the go-ahead to start Mahomes, Reid remains dicey about the situation as he makes a crucial decision for the Chiefs QB.

Andy Reid holds Patrick Mahomes out of the preseason games

The Kansas City Chiefs 2026 preseason schedule features a three-game slate beginning on August 15, 2026. They have two home games at Arrowhead Stadium where the LA Rams and the Seattle Seahawks will matchup against them on August 15 and August 28, along with one road trip to Florida on August 22 to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

For Patrick Mahomes, these games would be great to get him accustomed after the knee injury. But then again, considering the 30-year-old signal-caller is just recovering, which is why HC Andy Reid appears reluctant to put him on the field for preseason.

“I mean, there’s a pretty good chance where I don’t play him,” Reid said on Friday. “[The] percentages are leading that way. I don’t know if I’ll play him in the second or third game. I don’t know that. The percentages probably lean against not doing that.”

During his nine-season NFL career so far, Patrick Mahomes has never missed the entire preseason. However, the Kansas City Chiefs QB has also not suffered a season-ending injury like he did last year.

So, for Andy Reid to take precautions for his most precious assets does make sense. But at the same time, Reid also plans to maximize this move of keeping Mahomes away by providing more game time to the backup signal-callers such as Justin Fields and rookie Garrett Nussmeier.

“We’ve got new people behind [Mahomes] that need some work,” Reid said while referencing Fields and Nussmeier. “The more reps they get, the better.”

While Reid moves towards facilitating his plans for Fields and Nussmeier in the preseason games, Mahomes is pushing to stay fit and ready for whenever an opportunity lands for him to play a game.

The Chiefs play the Denver Broncos in a Gameweek 1 fixture. With Mahomes’ preseason status in question, doubts will now linger on his availability for the fixture.