Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes has completed surgery to address ACL and LCL tears in his left knee, but the news isn’t all good, as his road back to MVP form could be longer than initially thought.
Sports doctor David J. Chao, a former NFL team physician for nearly two decades, said on Tuesday, December 16 that it will take Mahomes longer to fully recover because he ruined two ligaments in his knee instead of just one last weekend against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“Confirmation of our suspected LCL injury for Patrick Mahomes means the Chiefs’ season will be significantly impacted in 2026,” Chao said. “There is no way for him to be 100 percent healthy for the start of next season.”
Mahomes’ doctors initiated the surgical process immediately because he suffered damage to two ligaments, needing an ACL reconstruction and LCL repair, Chao explained.
Chao added that the best comparison is the knee injury that Carson Wentz suffered as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 when he was on an MVP track late in the season.
“I’m not suggesting [the injury] will derail Mahomes’ career like it, in some ways, derailed Carson Wentz’s career. But Wentz even said it was an 18-24 month recovery,” Chao continued. “He did not start the season for the Eagles the following year. He played quickly, but then developed other injuries.”
Chiefs May Need to Sacrifice Part, All of Next Season in Service of Patrick Mahomes’ Full Recovery
GettyFormer Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Carson Wentz.
Mahomes will turn just 31 years old early next season and could have approximately another decade of elite football left in front of him. When Wentz was 31, just last season, he was already in his second year as a full-time backup and playing behind Mahomes during the Chiefs’ Super Bowl run.
For that reason, it will behoove Kansas City to err on the side of caution and begin next season with someone else under center, even if that means a lower chance of returning to the franchise’s standard level of Super Bowl competitiveness.
“He can he play from the pocket, sure. But it might be 2027 when he’s fully mobile Patrick Mahomes like before,” Chao said. “This news is significant for the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes.”
Chiefs Must Now Consider Gardner Minshew, Other Options as Patrick Mahomes’ Replacement in 2026
GettyQuarterbacks Gardner Minshew (left) and Patrick Mahomes (right) of the Kansas City Chiefs.
How Kansas City deals with the new information on Mahomes is now the most intriguing part of the story, at least until Mahomes’ rehab begins in earnest, as the talent available will be limited and the Chiefs face a tough salary cap situation in 2026 (currently $44 million in the red).
The team won’t be able to draft a top signal-caller because it won’t be bad enough, even if it loses every game from here on out. Current backup Gardner Minshew could be a bridge solution, but he isn’t under contract for next year and there is little certainty he could lead the Chiefs to a competitive record of any sort if Mahomes is absent for a month or two.
The free-agent class is full of players who provide question marks similar to those that Minshew does, such as Kenny Pickett. As such, the Kansas City could turn to the trade market and seek a player like Mac Jones of the San Francisco 49ers, who is liable to cost a Day 2 pick in any deal.
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