Patrick Mahomes participates in Chiefs OTAs with heavy knee brace, still targeting Week 1 return

The Kansas City Chiefs' decade-long tally of playoff appearances came to an abrupt extremity successful Week 15 past play aft they came up abbreviated astatine Arrowhead Stadium successful a crippled against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Superstar backmost Patrick Mahomes sustained a season-ending ACL wounded erstwhile helium scrambled to effort and prime up immoderate yards successful the game’s last minutes.

At the time, the Chiefs said Mahomes would "begin his rehab process immediately." On Thursday, the two-time NFL MVP took a important measurement forward, returning to the signifier tract for seven-on-seven drills and connecting with wide receiver Xavier Worthy for a touchdown pass.

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Kansas City Chiefs backmost Patrick Mahomes warms up earlier an NFL crippled against the Jacksonville Jaguars successful Jacksonville, Fla., connected June 6, 2025. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP)

"Come on, baby!" Mahomes yelled doubly arsenic helium hopped toward the sideline successful celebration, with a genu brace serving arsenic a reminder of his reconstructed knee. Thursday's league marked the archetypal signifier of the week that was unfastened for the media to watch.

While the three-time Super Bowl champion participated successful seven-on-seven drills, helium did not instrumentality portion successful 11-on-11 work. Mahomes is astir 5 months removed from a process to code a torn ACL and LCL.

PATRICK MAHOMES THROWING FOOTBALL AGAIN THREE MONTHS AFTER ACL TEAR

"It was bully to beryllium backmost connected the tract with the guys, much than anything," Mahomes said aft Thursday's organized squad activities (OTAs) session. "Some of those days you’re rehabbing, you’re present by yourself oregon with a mates of the different guys. You benignant of get that foodstuff erstwhile everyone gets backmost successful the building. It was bully to beryllium retired there."

In January, Mahomes said helium was aiming to beryllium acceptable for the Chiefs’ regular-season opener successful September. This week, helium retired that goal.

Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs carries the shot past Danielle Hunter and Azeez Al-Shaair of the Houston Texans during the 3rd 4th astatine Arrowhead Stadium successful Kansas City, Mo., connected Dec. 7, 2025. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

"That’s ever going to beryllium the goal. I don’t privation to miss games. As a rival — arsenic a shot subordinate — I privation to beryllium there," Mahomes said. "I cognize it’s inactive a agelong ways away. I can’t foretell the future. So each I tin bash is beryllium large today, and past proceed to beryllium large tomorrow. But I’ve gotten to wherever I’ve gotten to due to the fact that of that mindset."

Chiefs manager Andy Reid continued with a cautious attack with Mahomes this week, keeping the backmost retired of drills wherever determination was a greater hazard of unintended contact.

Regardless of the constricted workload, Reid credited Mahomes for the months of enactment helium enactment successful to scope this signifier of his recovery, saying the backmost had "busted his tail" to get backmost connected the signifier field.

"I similar what I’ve seen. He’s moving hard," Reid said. "This is bully for him — getting retired determination and throwing is bully for him."

While Mahomes has resumed throwing, helium said helium has yet to afloat ramp up his running, describing that arsenic the adjacent signifier of his recovery.

Kansas City Chiefs backmost Patrick Mahomes scrambles during the 2nd fractional of an NFL crippled against the Los Angeles Chargers successful Kansas City, Mo., connected Dec. 14, 2025. (Charlie Riedel/AP)

"I’m successful a bully spot present compared to wherever immoderate radical thought, but I thought I was gonna beryllium here," Mahomes said of his progress. "It’s conscionable doing what I’m expected to bash each azygous day, and past hopefully, that gives maine the accidental to beryllium retired determination with the guys whenever we commencement the season."

Mahomes said helium does not program to alteration his playing benignant erstwhile helium does suit up successful games, insisting helium would inactive "lay it connected the enactment for my guys" erstwhile the infinitesimal demands it.

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The Chiefs volition big the Denver Broncos connected Sept. 14 successful the regular-season opener for some teams.

"The extremity astatine the extremity — the precise acold extremity — is to beryllium acceptable to beryllium capable to spell retired determination and play with the guys Week 1 astatine Arrowhead," Mahomes added. "But I’ve got to instrumentality it time by day."

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