Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has returned to the practice field following surgery to repair a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee, marking one of the central storylines of the team’s training camp.
Mahomes completed his initial two sessions without major setbacks after nearly eight months of rehabilitation. The sessions took place at the Chiefs’ facility in St. Joseph, Missouri, where the team opened camp.
Observers tracking the workouts noted that the two-time MVP adjusted his knee brace multiple times while running drills. The frequent tweaks prompted questions about his comfort level so far into the recovery process.
The Athletic’s Jesse Newell reported seeing the quarterback make repeated modifications to the support during practice.
“I saw [Mahomes] fidget with [the knee brace] a lot,” Newell said. “He reached down, tried to tighten it, tried to move it. So this is going to be an adjustment period for him as he gets used to this thing strapped around his left knee.”
Newell also noted that Mahomes took part in exercises requiring him to roll out toward his injured left side, placing stress on the repaired knee through directional movement.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid offered a positive evaluation of his star player after the first full practice of camp.
According to Chiefs Wire’s Charles Goldman, Reid told reporters, “He looked pretty good today I thought. Strong…. His feet were moving well. I thought it was positive. I thought he looked well.”
Footage from the session captured Mahomes dropping back in the pocket, throwing passes accurately and celebrating with jumps after successful plays.
Mahomes sustained the injury during the Chiefs’ Week 15 defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers last December. That loss ended Kansas City’s playoff hopes for the first time in his tenure as the starting quarterback.
He had surgery the day after the game and has focused on rehabilitation ever since, aiming to be ready for the 2026 season.
Although medical staff cleared Mahomes for training camp participation, he explained that the brace remains a personal choice rather than a mandated piece of equipment.
“It’s not like I’ve been told I have to wear it or how long I have to wear it,” Mahomes said. “It’s just going to be my comfortability how I feel. But I will start with it on just because I feel like I can still move and be myself with it. I played with it in college and then we’ll just see where we go from there.”
Mahomes wore a similar brace during his final college season before entering the NFL.
The quarterback has consistently projected availability for the Chiefs’ regular-season opener on Sept. 14, while acknowledging that recovery continues beyond the immediate return to the field.
“The process isn’t over,” Mahomes added. “It’ll be something I’ll probably be dealing with the next few years of my career and throughout the rest of my career. But I feel comfortable now being able to go out there and run the offense the way the offense is supposed to be run.”
Team officials plan to monitor Mahomes closely throughout camp as he builds toward full-speed competition.
