Patrick Mahomes reassures us that his foot injury is ‘all good’

This offseason, the conversation surrounding the K.C. Chiefs is largely one about protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes. In case anyone had forgotten how hard it was to watch the Super Bowl or needed a reminder in any way, the team’s star provided one with a simple family picture posted for Easter on Instagram.

Just like that, Chiefs Kingdom (and the rest of the NFL) saw a walking boot and realized once again that this offseason is all about healing for Mahomes. He didn’t miss a single start last season—save for the last game of the year in which Andy Reid rested all of his starters in Week 17 against the Los Angeles Chargers—but he was definitely playing through serious pain.

All through last season, protection up front was a major concern for the Chiefs as they lost starting right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif before the season began when he decided to opt out of the year. They lost their new tackle investment Lucas Niang to the same. From there, left guard Kelechi Osemele was lost for the year in Week 5, and right tackle Mitchell Schwartz was lost for the year in Week 6. Left tackle Eric Fisher lasted the whole regular season only to suffer an Achilles injury in the AFC Championship game.

Together, the injuries became too much in a Super Bowl that showcased a tremendous front seven of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against an overwhelmed Chiefs o-line that had been stretched to a breaking point. In the process, an already ailing Mahomes—someone who had suffered myriad injuries throughout the year (ankle, head, knee, foot)—simply couldn’t carry the offense anymore.

After the season, Mahomes said he was going to have surgery to repair the torn plantar plate in his foot, which he apparently has. From there, he said this offseason was all about injury prevention. He’s now celebrating Easter in a walking boot and he responded to concerns on Twitter:

It appears the Chiefs are also committing to the same injury prevention for Mahomes going forward as well. The team has cleared the deck across the offensive line in order to reset, especially along the interior. LDT is coming back and Niang is set to make his debut in 2021. Joe Thuney is the marquee signing, but he’s not alone. Austin Blythe has also been brought in at center and Kyle Long has been brought out of retirement. The Chiefs are also expected to add another offensive tackle or two after chasing Trent Williams early in free agency.

Right now, Mahomes says he’s “all good”, and the Chiefs have five more months or so to make sure he can stay healthy for another run at a Super Bowl title.