Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes revealed Friday that he consulted with Tom Brady as he recovered from an ACL tear suffered in December. Brady previously experienced a "very similar injury" in 2008, when he tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee.
Mahomes, who has been cleared to practice approximately seven months after his injury, also spoke with players Tyrann Mathieu and Zach Ertz, who have dealt with ACL injuries. "It’s just talking to guys that have been through this process and just saying how you have to stay on top of it," Mahomes said.
Ertz sustained an ACL injury just one week before Mahomes last season. The Chiefs quarterback stated that he and Ertz engaged in "competitions" during their rehabilitation, sharing videos of their progress. "It would start off as how much deadlift — what you’re deadlifting, where you’re at — and then [we would] send little videos," Mahomes explained. "He’s jumping and doing certain acceleration things, and I’m sending him next week doing cutting and stuff like that."
Mahomes aims to be ready for the start of the regular season, targeting Week 1 on Sept. 14, when the Chiefs host the Broncos. The team finished last season with a 6-11 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014, losing eight of their final nine games after starting 5-3, with Mahomes sidelined.