Getty Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes amps up the crowd before the 2020 AFC Championship.
Few things can get Kansas City Chiefs fans more excited than seeing Patrick Mahomes in action.
The intrigue surrounding the 25-year-old superstar is especially high this offseason after undergoing surgery to repair the turf toe injury sustained during the Chiefs’ playoff run. According to general manager Brett Veach on March 1, the procedure, which took place on February 10 and three days following the Super Bowl loss that saw Mahomes pressured on 29-of-56 dropbacks, was expected to sideline him for three months.
Now closing in on that benchmark, Mahomes remains on track to participate at a high level during training camp this summer. This week, however, the Chiefs quarterback gave fans a first-hand look into his recovery regiment, posting a pair of new workout videos to his Instagram account.
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Mahomes Shows off Significant Progress in Foot Recovery
The two hype videos, posted on May 1 and May 3, show a mashup of Mahomes working through various exercises with personal trainer Bobby Stroupe near his hometown of Tyler, Texas.
Captioned with an alarm clock emoji and a simple “No slowing down” message, the hype videos drew GOAT emoji reactions from current and former AFC West rivals Von Miller and Gareon Conley. Teammates Demarcus Robinson and Maurice Ffrench, as well as countless members of Chiefs Kingdom, also chimed in with some encouraging words and excitement heading into the 2021 season.
In the 50 days since free agency first opened, Veach and the Chiefs front office have done everything in their power to ensure there is no repeat of Super Bowl LV. While households names such as Eric Fisher, Mitchell Schwartz and Sammy Watkins are no longer sporting Kansas City uniforms, Mahomes’ offensive line has undergone a complete overhaul with the additions of Orlando Brown Jr., Joe Thuney, Kyle Long, Austin Blythe and 2021 draft picks Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith.
Chiefs Still Expected to Be Cautious With Mahomes
Speaking to the media prior to the NFL Draft last month, Mahomes acknowledged that he believes himself to be ahead of schedule in his return to the field.
“I think I’m progressing well,” Mahomes said during his April 19 press conference. “I think I’m ahead of schedule myself. Obviously, we’re trying to be cautious and not push me out there too soon, but I’m doing what I can. I’ve gotten out of the [walking] boot finally — took forever. Now I’m trying to get back on the field and get that stuff working. So I’m sure they’ll keep me along that same pathway so I can hopefully be able to do some stuff by the end of the offseason.”
Head coach Andy Reid also sounded encouraged by his quarterback’s progress and overall work ethic throughout the entire comeback process.
“Pat’s doing tremendous,” Reid also told reporters on April 19. “He’s got great flexibility in that toe. He’s worked his tail off — not a real fun thing to do with that. It seems like a small thing, but that toe was rather large and stiff before the surgery and after the surgery. So he’s really worked hard at getting that right.”
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Chris Licata is an NFL contributor covering the Kansas City Chiefs from enemy territory in Denver, Colorado. Follow him on Twitter @Chris__Licata or join the Heavy on Chiefs Facebook community for the latest out of Chiefs Kingdom!