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Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes is reportedly ahead of schedule in his injury rehab process

The 2025 campaign was a complete nightmare for the Kansas City Chiefs. Not only did the team miss the playoffs entirely, but their superstar quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, also suffered a torn ACL and LCL late in the season. As a result, there’s a chance that Mahomes may not be ready for the start of the upcoming season.

Ever the competitor, Mahomes has been working tirelessly to get himself back on the field. And while Kansas City is obviously going to be cautious with its star player, the latest report on Mahomes’ injury rehab makes it seem like he could very well be back on the field for Week 1 of the 2026 campaign.

Chiefs Fans Will Love Latest Patrick Mahomes Injury Update

In each of his first seven seasons as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback, Mahomes had led the team to at least the AFC Championship Game. After looking less than stellar on offense in recent years, though, the floor completely fell out from underneath Kansas City last season. Even if Mahomes hadn’t suffered his aforementioned injury, K.C. would have missed the playoffs last year.

For years, the overarching belief has been that Mahomes can bail out the Chiefs if they don’t have a superstar-laden roster. And while that has largely been true, the 2025 campaign proved that even Mahomes needs help. His numbers through 14 starts weren’t necessarily bad (315/502, 3,587 YDS, 22 TD, 11 INT, 64 CAR, 422 YDS, 5 TD), but that’s a far cry from the sort of production he was posting earlier in his career.

Now, Mahomes has to work his way back from a serious injury in order for Kansas City to have any shot of contending next season. While there are a lot of question marks surrounding the Chiefs, Mahomes is intent on making sure his status is not one of them, as he is reportedly ahead of schedule when it comes to his rehab from his ACL injury.

“The buzz around the league is that the future Hall of Fame quarterback attacked his return from season-ending surgery with fury and conviction and is ahead of schedule and consumed with being back for the season opener,” Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom reported. “Some close to the situation believe Reid might have to hold the start back some and try to keep him from pushing too hard as he returns from surgery to repair his ACL and LCL in his left knee.”

Patrick Mahomes is Intent on Getting the Chiefs Back on Track in 2026

GettyPatrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs’ offense has experienced a lot of changes in recent years, but the 2025 campaign was the first time in which Mahomes wasn’t able to overcome the unit’s shortcomings. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, then, that Kansas City’s front office has worked relentlessly to get Mahomes some more help on both sides of the ball this offseason.

K.C. will exercise extreme caution with Mahomes as he works his way back to full health, but there’s only so much they can do to keep him off the field if he’s ready to play. Mahomes still has a long way to go before he returns to the field for game action, but as of right now, it looks like he will have a real shot at being ready for the team’s Week 1 opener.