Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been fully cleared by the team's medical staff and his surgeon to participate in training camp, which is set to begin on July 29. Mahomes, who tore his ACL and LCL in a Week 15 game against the Chargers in December 2025, underwent season-ending surgery.
Dr. Dan Cooper, who performed the surgery, and the Chiefs' medical team have given Mahomes the green light, according to ESPN. The perennial All-Pro quarterback stated he feels stronger than ever and is eager to be on the field with his teammates. "I feel amazing," Mahomes said. "I’m excited just to be able to play football. I’ve been seeing cinderblock walls rehabbing every single day in Kansas City. Now, to be on that practice field with my teammates, it’s going to be a lot of fun."
Mahomes, 30, is over seven months removed from his procedure and will continue to wear a compression sleeve and brace on his left leg as he works toward a full return. He is expected to lead the first-team offense during 11-on-11 drills throughout training camp. Medical staff determined he can cut, run, and change direction sufficiently to protect himself.
Coach Andy Reid expressed optimism about Mahomes' progress. "He’s been working so hard that you have a pretty good feel that he’s in a good place," Reid said, according to ESPN. "We’ve got to see how things go and not make any predictions about [Week 1]."
Mahomes aims to test his knee during camp, wanting the offense to run as it would in the regular season. "I don’t get hit, so that’s one part of it, but it’s good to be out there and have bodies around and be able to go through and run the offense," he said. "I want [Reid] to call [plays] it like we’re going to call it in the regular season. That’s going to be the best way for me to prepare myself. I want to go out there and test [the knee]."
The Chiefs' first preseason game is scheduled for August 15 against the Rams. They will then face the Buccaneers on August 22 and the Seahawks on August 28. The regular season begins with a "Monday Night Football" home game against the Broncos on September 14.