Patrick Mahomes is closing in on a highly anticipated return to the Kansas City Chiefs, and Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton already has a clear picture of what that version of the quarterback will look like.

With the AFC West rivals scheduled to open the season against each other on September 14 at Arrowhead Stadium, Payton said this week that Denver is planning as if Mahomes will be fully healthy after last season’s serious knee injury.

The Chiefs have not formally named Mahomes the starter for the Monday Night Football matchup, yet Payton left little room for doubt during his Wednesday press conference.

“I’m going to probably say the same for Bo [Nix] — you’ve seen enough things where he’s going to be 100 percent and we’re preparing for him at his best,” Payton said, per a transcript provided by the Broncos. “We know how talented he is, and I’m sure he’s attacked the rehab the way Bo has with completely different injuries. That’s kind of our approach to it.”

Mahomes tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee last December against the Los Angeles Chargers and underwent surgery shortly afterward in Dallas. Kansas City kept him out of every preseason game, a cautious public stance that contrasted with what was happening behind the scenes.

He received clearance in late July for all football activities and then practiced throughout training camp without scheduled rest days, working on pocket footwork, scrambling, and the sudden cuts that matter most after this kind of reconstruction.

The quarterback has described the daily grind of camp as even more demanding than a regular season week, and he has said his body has responded the way he hoped. The more he practiced, the better he felt.

His competitive streak sometimes pushed him past what coaches preferred, prompting reminders to ease off the hardest cuts, but those same instincts also let him test the repaired knee in live periods and walk away encouraged.

Teammates have been equally direct. Receiver Xavier Worthy recently dismissed any talk of Mahomes only “potentially” being ready, insisting the quarterback is already back.

That confidence tracks with Mahomes’ own public comments that he expects to play in Week 1 and that the Chiefs will look like a new version of a familiar, dominant team.

History gives Denver extra reason to take the threat seriously. Mahomes is 13-2 as a starter against the Broncos, even if those games have not always been one-sided. Payton’s decision to prepare for him at full strength is therefore both a compliment and a practical necessity.

When the two sides meet in two weeks, Kansas City will be watching to see whether the rehab has delivered the player who once defined this rivalry, and Denver will be ready for exactly that possibility.