Patrick Mahomes got the best possible knee injury return update after a sports doctor predicted a Week 1 return for the Kansas City Chiefs three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback.
Florida-based Sports medicine specialist Dr. Jesse Morse publicly weighed in Saturday after news broke that Mahomes was on track to take part in the Chiefs’ OTAs starting May 26. His assessment could only spark greater optimism among Chiefs fans. If Morse’s projection proves accurate, Mahomes’ recovery timeline may already be ahead of schedule entering a pivotal offseason.
Doctor Projects Mahomes Ready for Week 1 Start
“Great news for Patrick Mahomes. I expect him to start Week 1,” Morse wrote in a post on social media Saturday.
Morse’s bullish outlook tracks with what Chiefs head coach Andy Reid signaled at rookie minicamp over the weekend. Mahomes has been logging extensive rehabilitation work since surgery to repair the torn ACL and LCL he suffered in Kansas City’s Dec. 14 loss to the Chargers, according to ESPN‘s Nate Taylor, a gut-punch defeat that also knocked the Chiefs out of playoff contention for the first time in the Mahomes era.
“I know he’s doing a lot of stuff right now. He is throwing the ball. He does it on his own,” Reid said, as quoted by ESPN‘s Taylor.
Reid confirmed Mahomes holds a realistic shot at joining teammates when Kansas City’s first OTAs open May 26-28, though the extent of his involvement remains uncertain. The NFL’s rules around the Physically Unable to Perform list add a critical procedural wrinkle. Once Mahomes steps onto the practice field, the PUP clock starts and cannot be reset, as the Kansas City Star‘s Pete Sweeney reported.
“Once you start the clock, then the clock’s got to be rolling,” Reid said. “You just have to evaluate what you want to do there. But he’s in a position where he can do everything, I think.”
Mahomes ACL Recovery: What Comes Next
Mahomes made his personal target explicit back in January. His stated objective was always to suit up Week 1 with no limitations whatsoever, as recounted by Sports Illustrated‘s Eva Geitheim. A treating physician confirmed that the two-time NFL MVP’s goal was medically achievable.
In late March, Mahomes provided a concrete sign of his progress, posting a four-second clip to Instagram of himself executing a five-step dropback and delivering what appeared to be an intermediate throw inside a training gym. That was his first public display of arm work since the December procedure. The video drew widespread attention around the league.
Should Mahomes need additional recovery time beyond September, Kansas City already acquired Justin Fields earlier this offseason to provide starting-caliber depth. Seventh-round rookie Garrett Nussmeier and veteran Chris Oladokun also give the Chiefs additional options at the position.
Mahomes, 30, carries a career record of 95-31-0 with 267 touchdown passes and 35,939 passing yards across nine NFL seasons. The 2025 campaign was his most difficult — a 6-8-0 mark in 14 starts, 22 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions as Kansas City missed the postseason for the first time under Reid’s watch, but Mahomes has proven capable of bouncing back from adversity at every stage of his career.
Patrick Mahomes Knee Injury Return Date Gets Best Possible Update: Sports Doctor