The long journey back now begins for Patrick Mahomes.
On Sunday afternoon, Mahomes left the Kansas City Chiefs' loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in its final minutes after injuring his knee. It was immediately clear that the injury was serious, and further shots of a pained Mahomes, towel draped over his head, being helped back to the locker room only heightened concerns. A subsequent report confirmed Mahomes had torn his ACL.
Twenty-four hours later, Mahomes underwent surgery on his ACL with Dr. Daniel Cooper in Dallas, Texas. A post by the Chiefs organization on social media confirmed the surgery's success. Now, Mahomes' attention will turn to healing from the procedure and beginning to rehab a knee that will need considerable time and effort to get ready to play in 2026.
Patrick Mahomes’ successful ACL surgery offers a small but meaningful step forward.
Mahomes reportedly sought a second opinion before having surgery near his Texas home. Head coach Andy Reid stated that Mahomes was looking at all possibilities, and that 90 percent of players tend to do the same, so it wasn't a shock or the sign of the injury's severity. It was due process.
The news that Mahomes' surgery is in the rearview mirror, and that it went well, is a dose of good news. There's no way to hurry the process, so all parties involved should gladly accept any bit of positivity as it comes. The recovery effort is going to take considerable time, which means updates will be incremental. In this instance, it's a thumbs up from the surgical room and a look forward to the start of rehab.
In a way, Mahomes' own path mirrors that of the organization that so heavily depends upon him. The Chiefs have three games left that matter nothing in the standings and yet each game can provide a bit more information about the state of the roster and provide chances to improve for developmental players. It's small gains for everyone in the hopes of returning to contention in 2026.