Amateur physicians and Kansas City Chiefs fans are lecturing team doctors after Patrick Mahomes posted footage of himself practicing just a few months after his season-ending knee surgery.
‘Rushing back [from] an injury,’ one fan remarked, ‘just irresponsible.’
Mahomes tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee in mid-December as the Chiefs were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time in his decorated career. Although ACL/LCL surgery can entail a recovery period of nine to 12 months, Mahomes has vowed to return ‘stronger than ever’ with an eye towards participating in organized team activities (OTAs) this spring.
‘Day by Day!’ Mahomes captioned the Instagram footage, which showed him dropping back and throwing with a sleeve covering his left leg. ‘Felt Great being able to throw the ball around today!’
But while team doctors permitted Mahomes to do some work, Chiefs fans were desperately pushing for caution online.
‘They love to hype comebacks wayyyy to (sic) early,’ one fan wrote on X.
Mahomes shared footage of himself throwing this week, sparking concern and excitement
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is injured while being tackled by Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand (91) on December 14
Others remarked on his throwing motion, which looked to be impacted by his surgically repaired leg.
‘S*** looked like it hurt,’ one fan noted.
‘This throw looked awful,’ one critic added, calling Mahomes ‘cooked.’
Many others were impressed to see the three-time Super Bowl MVP returning so soon after suffering his injury.
‘100 days post ACL surgery and already back to dropping back and throwing is the most Patrick Mahomes thing that could possibly happen,’ one fan wrote on X. ‘The man treats recovery the same way he treats fourth quarter deficits and Kansas City should not be worried at all.’
One fan believes Mahomes ‘should absolutely be ready for the start of the season,’ but cautioned, ‘he won’t look like himself until mid-season.’
Mahomes and the Chiefs were denied a playoff berth in 2025 for the first time in his career
The Chiefs are in the midst of an interesting offseason. With the ninth pick in the first round, Kansas City is selecting earlier than in any draft since 2013, when they had the first-overall pick.
And while the team did face a salary cap crunch entering the offseason, they still managed to re-sign tight end Travis Kelce to a three-year deal worth as much as $57.7 million thanks to Mahomes, who agreed to restructure his own massive contract.
The Chiefs also added another Super Bowl MVP to their backfield in former Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III, who signed a three-year, $43 million deal.
But Kansas City did trade All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie to another Super Bowl contender in the Los Angeles Rams. That leaves the Chiefs with a major hole in their secondary, but it also provided extra capital in the form of the Rams’ first-, fifth- and sixth-round picks in next month’s NFL Draft, as well as a third rounder in 2027.