Getty Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes walks off the field following an injury.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has mostly kept to himself this offseason — and for good reason. The new #GirlDad welcomed his first child, daughter Sterling Skye, into the world on February 20, just 13 days after a crushing defeat in Super Bowl LV and only 10 days following surgery to repair the turf toe injury suffered during the AFC Divisional Round.
Speaking to the Kansas City media for the first time since February’s championship loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mahomes provided a much-anticipated update on his recovery.
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“I think I’m progressing well,” Mahomes told reporters on April 19. “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.”
After about a month-long public hiatus, the 25-year-old NFL star was first seen sporting his walking boot on March 6 in an Instagram photo posted by fiancée Brittany Matthews. He was again seen with the boot in an April 4 Easter post by Matthews, but has since made enough progress to have the device removed.
Andy Reid Says Mahomes Is ‘Doing Tremendous’
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach confirmed during his predraft press conference that Mahomes went under the knife on February 10, just three days post Super Bowl.
“Pat had his toe surgery on 2/10,” Veach said on March 1. “Talking to Rick [Burkholder] late last week, it’s a three-month recovery. So we’re hopeful, somewhere around that mandatory minicamp, if we have [it]. We certainly think by training camp he’ll be good to go and we’ll be smart with him.”
The anticipated three-month return timetable would put Mahomes on track for the second week of May, though as NFL Network’s James Palmer reports, the team is expected to “be smart” with him through training camp later this summer.
Where is #chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes in his recovery from offseason toe surgery? When will we see him on the field again? We got an update today. My report on NFL NOW on NFL Network
During his time on the podium on Monday, head coach Andy Reid also addressed his quarterback’s rehab process, praising his superstar signal-caller for putting in the effort necessary to get himself back to 100% health.
“Pat’s doing tremendous,” Reid explained. “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.”
Masters Golf Trip Has Been ‘Only Break’ From Rehab
An avid golf fan, Mahomes, along with teammate Travis Kelce, was seen taking in the sights at The Masters tournament earlier this month.
.@PatrickMahomes, @tkelce and @Trevorlawrencee taking in the scenes today at #themasters
📍Augusta \\\ #TeamAdidas 👀
“It’s been a lot of rehabbing, pretty much every single day rehabbing,” Mahomes said on April 19. “I got to go to the Masters, which was the only break I’ve really had from being up here in Kansas City rehabbing. I’m just trying to make myself available to the team as quickly as possible.”
While the trip to Augusta National proved to be a welcome interruption, Mahomes shared on Monday that he has had to cut down on his personal golf and video game time in recent months. Such is the life of the busy Chiefs QB nowadays.
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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!