Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes recently appeared in public as he continues to recover from a serious knee injury, giving fans a glimpse of his rehabilitation progress.
Mahomes suffered a season-ending ACL injury during the Chiefs’ Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on December 14. The three-time Super Bowl MVP underwent surgery the following day to repair both the ACL and LCL in his left knee.
Nearly three months later, Mahomes was seen attending the Big 12 tournament, where his appearance sparked conversation among fans about how his recovery is progressing ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
Patrick Mahomes Seen Walking at Big 12 Tournament
While much of the NFL focuses on free agency, Mahomes took some time to catch up on some college basketball ahead of March Madness.
Mahomes attended Wednesday’s Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, where he watched potential No. 1 overall NBA Draft prospect AJ Dybantsa lead BYU against West Virginia.
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, a BYU alum, also attended the game alongside his grandson.
Video circulating on social media showed Mahomes arriving courtside at the tournament. The quarterback was not wearing a knee brace or using crutches, but some viewers believed he walked with a slight limp.
The footage quickly sparked online discussion as fans debated what it revealed about Mahomes’ recovery.
One social media user wrote, “Those reports about him being ready before the season starts are false.”
Other fans expressed optimism about the quarterback’s progress.
“Got a little hitch but looking good,” one fan commented.
Another added, “No crutches. Dude he is a different beast.”
A third wrote, “Patrick Mahomes looks like he is doing better every day.”
Kansas City Chiefs QB1 Injury Recovery Timeline
Mahomes suffered the injury late in the Chiefs’ 16-13 loss to the Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium.
The quarterback went down while scrambling in the final minutes of the game. The injury ended his season and halted the Chiefs’ streak of playoff appearances that had lasted more than a decade.
Shortly after the injury, the Chiefs confirmed that Mahomes would begin rehabilitation immediately following surgery.
Recovery from ACL surgery typically takes around nine months. The start of the 2026 NFL season will fall just under the nine-month mark from the date of Mahomes’ procedure.
Because of that timeline, questions have continued about whether the quarterback will be ready for the start of the season.
NFL Insiders Share Updates on Patrick Mahomes’ Rehab
Several NFL insiders have shared updates about Mahomes’ recovery process in recent weeks.
Sports Illustrated reporter Albert Breer spoke about the situation during an appearance on the podcast “The Rich Eisen Show.”
“I think they certainly are very, very hopeful,” Breer said.
“I hesitate to use [the word] ‘expecting.’ I don’t wanna put a timeline on a player without getting his OK. But I think they’re very, very hopeful that he’ll be good to go and close to being himself by Week 1. So that’s good news.”
FOX Sports reporter Jay Glazer also discussed Mahomes’ recovery during an appearance on the “The Dan Patrick Show.”
“His pain threshold is different, his work ethic is different,” Glazer said. “So at first they were like, ‘Oh, you know, start of the season.’ I would probably hedge on him being back sooner than that. By far. Because he just attacks things.”
Glazer also noted that Mahomes was able to begin rehabilitation quickly after surgery.
“He got the surgery before it swelled up,” Glazer explained.
“I believe it was either Thursday or Friday that week, he was already in the Chiefs’ training room doing rehab. And he had already got his knee bending at 90 degrees at that point. He’s just different, he heals differently.”
Patrick Mahomes Offers Subtle Rehab Update After Season-Ending Injury