Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes faces a long road ahead as he aims to recover from a complicated injury and get his team back into the playoffs, but experts don’t have too much confidence in him.
Mahomes suffered a torn ACL and LCL in December, sending him to a long rehab process and uncertainty about whether he’ll be ready to start the season. While Mahomes himself has been optimistic, early odds don’t favor the Chiefs quarterback to bounce immediately back to his MVP form.
Patrick Mahomes Not Favored to Win MVP
As SI.com’s Alex Brasky noted, Mahomes is low on the early list of MVP candidates for the 2026 NFL season. The Chiefs quarterback was listed in seventh, behind five other quarterbacks in his conference and just ahead of reigning MVP Matthew Stafford.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was in the lead, followed by Lamar Jackson and Drake Maye. There was a jump to the next tier of candidates, which included Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and Mahomes.
While it’s still too early to make any determinations, the odds demonstrate that experts are pessimistic that Mahomes will bounce back quickly from an injury that takes some players close to a year to bounce back from — and one that often robs them of athleticism for 18 months or more.
Patrick Mahomes Bullish on NFL Return
Mahomes has been optimistic about his rehab, which started with surgery for the injury in December. Mahomes told reporters in January that he believes he’ll be ready to start the season.
“I want to be ready for Week 1. The doctors said I could,” Mahomes said, via the New York Post. “But I can’t predict what happens throughout the process. That’s the goal, to play Week 1 and have no restrictions. You want to be out there healthy and give us the best chance to win. I hope to do some things in OTAs and training camp and be able to do things there.”
Mahomes added that every part of his rehab has been on track so far, giving him more hope for the upcoming NFL season. The Chiefs quarterback is staying in Kansas City during the offseason so he can work closely with the team’s staff and stay at their facility.
Even if he does return to the field in time for the start of the season, Mahomes could face more challenges. Star tight end Travis Kelce has not yet announced whether he will return to the NFL for another season or head off into retirement, and the Chiefs face question marks at several position groups across their offense, including running back.
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