The Kansas City Chiefs' season was already almost over when Patrick Mahomes went down with an injury in the final minutes of the eventual loss to the Chargers but that injury confirmed it. Mahomes tore his ACL and will not play for the rest of the season.
It's a devastating blow even for a team that was not going to make the playoffs for the first time in the Mahomes era. Needless to say, everyone is rooting for Mahomes to make a full recovery and come back stronger than ever.
Former Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel was one of the many people who offered their encouragement to the three-time Super Bowl champion and two-time MVP star after his injury. Cassel posted on X, "I know [Patrick Mahomes] will absolutely attack his rehab and come back even better next season. Wishing a speedy recovery to one of the best to ever do it."
I know @PatrickMahomes will absolutely attack his rehab and come back even better next season. Wishing a speedy recovery to one of the best to ever do it. https://t.co/63AXHE7ZF0
— Matt Cassel (@M_Cassel16) December 15, 2025
Matt Cassel offers words of encouragement to Patrick Mahomes after devastating injury
Chiefs fans obviously aren't big Matt Cassel fans considering how his tenure in Kansas City went but this is a classy response from him and one that everyone will be nodding in agreement with. Mahomes is a superstar and it'll be weird enough not having him in the playoffs but now we won't get to watch him ball out for quite some time, which is a sad timeline to live in.
The hope now is that Mahomes can return to help the team get back on track in 2026 but that will be up in the air depending on how the 30-year-old's rehab process goes. The timeline usually starts at nine months for a torn ACL but can take longer depending on other factors. Nine months would put Mahomes back around September but other recent quarterback torn ACL injuries have seen them miss three games (Carson Wentz in 2017) to half the season (Kyler Murray in 2022).
Cassel hit the nail on the head here though with saying that Mahomes will attack his rehab and come back stronger. This team needs him and hopefully the dynasty is simply on a short-term hiatus this year.