The Kansas City Chiefs made a lot of improvements during the offseason, particularly on the defensive side of the football via the NFL draft, but the team is only going to go as far as injured quarterback Patrick Mahomes can take it.
Green Bay Packers pass-rusher Micah Parsons suffered an ACL tear during Week 15 of last season and all but confirmed to reporters on Wednesday, June 3 that he will not be back in the lineup until October. That means Parsons will start the year on the physically unable to perform [PUP] list and miss the first four weeks of the campaign.
Mahomes suffered a similar injury, though actually worse because he tore his ACL and LCL, in the same week as Parsons. However, Connor Orr of Sports Illustrated predicted on Wednesday that the two-time MVP will be back, fully healthy and ready to go come Week 1 in mid-September.
“As it turns out, when you have millions of dollars, the heft of support from a billion-dollar organization, and it’s your job to stay healthy, eat well and recover, really fascinating things can happen to the human body,” Orr wrote.
Chiefs Traded for Justin Fields as Backup Plan in Case of Prolonged Injury Issues for Patrick Mahomes
GettyKansas City Chiefs backup quarterback Justin Fields.
Kansas City traded a 2027 sixth-round draft pick to the New York Jets for quarterback Justin Fields this offseason to protect against Mahomes missing the early portion of the campaign.
However, while Fields has started 53 games over his first five seasons across stints with three teams, the Chiefs’ prospects of winning meaningfully with him over the first month are precarious for several reasons — not the least of which is that the team did little to improve its group of pass-catchers during the spring.
Kansas City still has options in free agency to add to the wide receiver room specifically, namely a reunion with Tyreek Hill or a short-term deal with Stefon Diggs.
Even still, with wideout Rashee Rice languishing in jail while recovering from knee surgery and tight end Travis Kelce back for his 14th professional campaign, the franchise’s best chances at recapturing Super Bowl glory are for Mahomes to exceed his rehabilitation schedule and return for the entire 2026 season.
Patrick Mahomes Practiced With Chiefs During Voluntary Workouts Last Month
GettyQuarterback Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The most recent bit of good news for the Chiefs regarding Mahomes’ health was his presence at voluntary team workouts late last month.
Mahomes spoke to the media about what it’s been like training for the upcoming season while recovering from the worst injury of his football career.
“Patrick Mahomes on his mobility being limited this week while participating in the Chiefs’ OTA practices, similar to when he’s played through ankle injuries: ‘It makes me sit through the pocket [and] go through reads. I’m trying to use it to my advantage,'” Nate Taylor of ESPN reported via X.
While Parsons has been vocal about the Packers’ insistence he sit out a full nine months, which means missing the first handful of games of the season, Mahomes and the Chiefs have made no such comments to date.
Patrick Mahomes Predicted to Return to Chiefs Earlier Than Expected